Side Notes and Sinking Thoughts
by justcallmelucifer
Summary: In which Yuffie is a gamer like the rest of us, and Vincent is the one who's lucky enough to be thrown into her world. AU. Yuffentine.
1. The Beginning

**Side Notes and Sinking Thoughts**

* * *

><p>Nine thirty was my bedtime. No, I'm serious. I'm a seventeen year old girl and my mother made me go to bed at nine thirty. Over-protective was an understatement for her. Well, in some aspects, I guess. She never let me have sugar, an allowance, internet access, and video games. In today's society, everyone would be dropping their jaws at a life without those beautiful, beautiful things. I would too, and I still do, even now. My mother's over protectiveness sprouted from the day my father was sent back to our home village of Wutai in Japan to help rule and be the head of defense. It was funny to think that my father was in enemy of the country my mother and I lived in, for he was fighting during the time of World War II. Yes, my father was that old. His youth had left him like I ditched my mother's rules when I turned thirteen.<p>

He died when I was three, not from the battling, well; _I guess_ you could blame the gun powder as a cause for his lung cancer. We were still living in Japan at that time and my mother had never left his side until he withered away into a dead war veteran. Me, being the three year old that I was, had sobbed my eyes out until they were as red as cherries while my mother locked herself away in her room for days on end. The Kisaragi Japanese family line was a small one and our only living relative was my mother's mother who was a whopping ninety-eight and couldn't make it to the funeral, let alone the house we lived in to help my mother.

I had lain in my bed, holding my woolly chocobo until its head popped off. This ended up not helping at all for my tears only re-sprung at the image of a decapitated chocobo in my bed.

But that's irrelevant and I'm known to get off topic.

My mother stumbled out of her bedroom door, her limbs shaking sporadically and suddenly, she fell to the floor in a heap of shaking muscle. Sobbing, I screamed her name and asked her what was wrong. I was so confused, so I called an ambulance in my three year old voice and saved my mother. The doctor said she had been diagnosed with Epilepsy and would be prone to seizures for the rest of her life. No one was there to look out for her except for me, and I was entirely too young. The doctor had put my mother on strong medication and he said he'd hope for the best. I wonder if he's still hoping.

After my mother's episode she had taken my hand and _never_ let go. Her eyes were always on me in some way or another and she'd constantly look me up and over, brushing my bangs out of my eyes and looking deep, deep, deep into them, and only when I was older did I realize I have my father's eyes. She'd grasp my hand when we went out for groceries and go to the playground and when I started kindergarten she was more hesitant to let me go than I was afraid of being the new kid.

By the time I was ten, my hand was mentally broken by my mother's protection.

We moved to the States after my first year of kindergarten and my mom put me in the international children's program at my local elementary school. I had been so confused when they taught me about letters instead of Kanji and that we should read right to left instead of left to right. I cried constantly at the tender age of seven and it took me years to fully grasp the English language.

I think it was the beginning of ninth grade when I became fully fluent, to the best degree that I could be. Even now I sometimes feel myself at a loss for words when trying to describe something simply because I keep thinking of the Japanese word for it and I never make the connection.

My mom's medication seemed to be working fine and she'd have no attacks or seizures for awhile. Every once and awhile tremors would run through her spine and body, and I'd get worried, but she'd reassure she'd be fine and she'd just go lie down.

We adjusted to the western lifestyle of the States and when I learned I didn't have to wear a uniform to school, I almost passed out in excitement. If there was one thing I was proud of (besides my cat like reflexes and my ability to watch movies non-stop all day, once _without_ snacks.) it was my sense of fashion.

And then one day I had been a good little girl (for the first and only time of my life) in my 1st grade internationality class and my _wonderful amazing god-like jesus_ teacher gave me the thing that would change my life forever.

There, in my hands, after successfully knowing that the color of my hair was not _kuro_ but was indeed very, very black, was a small fun-sized pack of Nerds.

I had opened the pink package with such a rush that half of the container burst onto the floor without me getting to touch it.

My (amazing) teacher frowned and patted my head reassuringly and handed me a new one.

Haha! Score! Now I have two!

I lifted the miniature pink turd-like pieces into my mouth and was thoroughly convinced I saw my daddy smiling at me because I was in heaven.

I devoured the one and a half boxes into my mouth and immediately asked for more. Startled, my teacher laughed and said I had to answer more questions to get more candy. (That bitch!) And so I did and became the genius I am today.

And I also loved candy. Everyday my teacher used the bathroom (2:15 on the dot) I would grab my two other classmates (Tseng, a Chinese boy with a dot on his head I used to poke, and Barrett, some black kid from Africa) we would raid the candy chest, but not that much so she didn't notice. Due to our success, the two boys who usually did nothing while I snuck the candy underneath my shirt, had nicknamed me "The Great Ninja Yuffie."

My mom would notice my hyperactivity when I came home from school and one day she found my stash underneath my bed and promptly slapped me straight across the face. No candy for me, it rotted my teeth and now I was going to have to go to the dentist to get new ones.

Now _that_ had scared the shit out of me…..but only for awhile.

The great-ninja-ness continued on and on (and STILL continues, goddammit!) until I had discovered the world of late night movies, internet, and **video games** through my sleepovers with my small amount of friends in middle school. My friend from back then, Aerith (sweet girl, but we don't talk much now), had given me a DVD of a movie we stayed up watching the night before and the classic "Legend of Zelda" from her brother. (I had seen it on the shelf and begged for it because I liked the color green.)

My mother never, ever let me play video games, computer games, or anything with flashing lights because she was afraid she'd get an attack. I agreed with her wholeheartedly, and I didn't want my mother to have another attack ever again, but at that moment, I had been so deprived of means of fun at my house, that I was so ecstatic when I got those two cases.

When I got home I realized that I only had a DVD played and not a Nintendo 64 because my mother obviously hated me. So I watched the movie and ignored my homework until nine thirty when my mother told me to go to bed but I would just come back down an hour later and plug the DVD into my small television in my room.

I returned to Aerith's house and her older brother, Zack, asked if I liked the game. I complained of my lack of the 64 and then the _best thing that ever happened to me_ happened and he gave me the console.

I know what you're thinking.

I am the luckiest bitch alive.

The console still sits underneath the living room television for hope that my children will ask what it is and begin to play it and everything will go according to plan. But Vincent- oh wait you don't know him yet. Don't worry he'll come in later.

So night after middle school night I would finish my homework and "go to bed" at nine thirty, secretly on the verge of bursting from excitement about my adventuress with Link and Zelda. Mother would go to bed around 10:30 and then I'd play my games with a blanket over the T.V. screen, the console, and my head so no light would escape my room. With Zelda on mute, I'd play until my eyes burned.

Game after borrowed game, Zack would laugh at my growing obsession until I promptly beat him at every Zelda game that was out. Then, speechless and going off to college, he handed me his entire Nintendo 64 collection and I had nearly burst into tears. Hugging him the hardest I could, I thanked him over and over again and went home early, skipped dinner (I was 'studying') and played all night. Good thing it was a Friday.

This habit never died. It still hasn't died. I still wake up in the middle of night, hitch my crying, crimson(gorgeous)-eyed baby on my hip and let him watch me kick some ass in Modern Warfare until Vincent sneakily shuts off my Xbox(the bastard) and tells me to come back to bed. And that me shooting the heads off of people wasn't good for the baby.

And…I'm off topic again. Onward, to the future!

My name is and always will be Yuffie Kisaragi except when it isn't and it's Yuffie Valentine.

I guess you could call this story "The Story of Why My Name Changed" but it doesn't really lead up to that. It leads up to me meeting this guy who's like no guy you'll ever meet. Sorry ladies, but he's one of a kind and he's all mine and we have BABIES. Well, a baby. But in reality, this is much bigger than how my name changed, but the story is much shorter.

It all started with the carpet.

I was up in my room with dark blue walls and a blue comforter and a white carpet and band posters covering every inch of my walls. My bed was pushed into the corner with my tiny (tiny, tiny, oh so tiny) television on the opposite wall from where my bed frame was. Two of my big fluffy pillows, one blue, and one white, were gone from my bed and were at the end of my bed on the floor. One for my back and one for my butt. I leaned against the pillow and the back of my bed like every other single day of my life and pressed the "start" button on my Playstation 3 controller.

With the game paused, currently it was the PS2 version of "Drakenguard," I leaned over and grabbed my huge glass of Coke and ice (the can stolen from my school's vending machine) with the goal to take a long, thirst quenching sip. Unfortunately, my elbow had pressed on the "start" button again and my game became un-paused. To my horror, Caim (the main character) was then being slashed to death by medieval soldiers. My hand jerked back and promptly tipped my glass over, letting the _sugary_ liquid leak from the cup and all over my favorite video game of all freaking time, Final Fantasy X.

I nearly died.

"Tidus, noooo!" I screamed in all of my nerdiness horror and discarded my controller to rescue the poor disk. I had been playing it a week ago and had forgotten to return it to its home (its case) so it lay unprotected and vulnerable to all of the harsh surroundings, including my mother fucking Coke.

But the damage was already done and my game was ruined. Shit. That had cost me like fifteen bucks.

Turning to the now ruined carpet, I yelled, "Fuck you carpet."

Well, I didn't yell, because my mother would kill me if she heard me say anything remotely similar to the eff-bomb, let alone any curse word.

Wiping the game on my white tee-shirt (which was really stupid because now I had this huge stain on my stomach) I didn't even try to test it out on my PS3. (incase remnants of Coke still lived and then ruined my CONSOLE) Sighing, I mourned my dead game.

And then I remembered I had fifteen dollars.

"Wooooooooooooo_hooooooooooooooo!_" I chanted and pumped my fist in the air. I ran to my wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill and took the next five minutes pulling out five dollars in quarters. I don't waste anything.

Sticking my money in a plastic bag, I shoved it into my pocket and was about to head out to Gamestop when I remembered I had a mother.

"Right," I muttered and sat back down on my floor, arms crossed, and for once didn't want to play video games.

Let me make this clear, I know. Call me anything you want. I will accept it. I am a nerd. I am a geek. I know. I KNOW. I don't care because these things make me happy like pot makes normal kids my age happy. And even my own mother would want me playing "Sacrilegious, holographic _akuma no shigoto_."(aka video games) than smoking weed.

So instead, I did my homework. As a junior, I myself was surprised at how I managed to go through the school year with A-B honor roll while going to bed a 2 a.m on a regular basis. I mostly just did work during lunch or on the bus or in situations like this. I was generally bright and school was never really a problem with me. I just read what was on the board and comprehended it to the best of my ability.

So I worked through my Calculus homework with the help of Marvin the graphic calculator and read my chapters and did my Chemistry worksheets in the span of two hours. Dinner came and I ate in silence after the routinely "How was your day, Yuffie?" "Fine." And "What did you do?" "Nothing." To which I got sneaky because my days were sometimes actually great and I generally do things on days that I live. I really am a ninja.

After dinner I was bored and called Tifa (my friend that I had met this year, she's a new girl from Virginia and was in the same homeroom as me. We ate lunch together and she was closer to me than 8/9ths of the student body.) and blabbed to her about how bored I was and she said she was bored too. And then we became un-bored by talking about homophones like "bored" and "board."

After we hung up I said goodnight to my mother. At about nine forty-five I slipped into bed with my clothes still on and stared at my clock. Its bright red letter s stared straight back at me and refused to move. It seemed that it was nine forty-five for an hour but eventually my mother went to bed and the house was dark.

Now _this_ was the fun part.

Normally, I didn't sneak out much. I loved my mother very much despite everything she does and I feel that betraying her in _this_ type of way was sorta mean. But this was Final Fantasy X on the line and I felt as if it was worthy of me sneaking out of my house on a Friday night to go to GameStop. And GameStop was only ten minutes away. I would be back in thirty minutes, tops.

I slipped on my orange sneakers and changed my shirt from my white, Coke-soaked one (which I threw in the hamper) to a dark green one with a black smiley face on it. Partnered with regular jean shorts, I looked like my normal self. I combed back my short black hair, parting it to the side and letting my bangs fall over my forehead.

Deeming myself presentably, I took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob to my bedroom door. It silently turned and I pressed on the wood of the door, opening it a sliver, just enough for me to slip out. Looking down the hall, I saw my mother's door was closed and no light shown from it, so I tip toed down the creaky steps of our large house, and barely picked up my feet when I reached the tiled floors of our kitchen which led to the front door. Turning off the security alarm, wincing at the loud beeps the buttons made, I made my way out the front door in a quick and swift movement. Prancing to my little blue car, I slid inside and patted myself on the back before starting the ignition.

Praying to god my mom didn't hear the car engine turn on, I pulled out of our driveway and drove down the road of our nice little neighborhood.

Getting on the main road, I drove to the familiar strip mall (in middle school I thought this was where all the strippers went) and parked my car in front of the familiar game store which I think of as my second home.

As I pulled open the door to the almost completely empty GameStop I heard the little jingle of a bell above my head. I began to make my way to the used game rack in the back of the store, shooting my eyes for a moment to the cashier.

When I ask almost completely empty, I meant this place was being occupied by the sexiest man to ever grace my virgin eyes. I almost peed when I saw him. Almost.

I only got one good look before my pride got to me and video games sucked me back into their realm. But I knew I'd get to look at him again. I'd have to _check out_ and he may even _look me in the eye_. From what I saw of him in that once glace I knew that it was just downright sexy gel oozing off of him. He had black, black hair (I was a sucker for the dark ones) was definitely taller than me (I was a sucker for the tall ones) and his face was so angular and pale. (I was a sucker for the handsome ones.)

"Hello, welcome to GameStop."

His voice was butterflies in a daisy field, finding the end of the rainbow, and getting an A on your final exam. It was rough and deep and everything you could think of in a man. He was _pure man_. He had no ounce of boy left in him and he just used that voice to talk to me. Lil ole' me. I felt so honored.

"Hi, I'm Yuffie! The Great Ninja Yuffie!" What the fuck was coming out of my mouth.

I looked over to him to see his eyes widen and he blinked three times. He let out a low chuckle (hopefully he was laughing WITH me) and I joined him, awkwardly, and scratched the back of my head.

"I-I mean, I'm Yuffie," I said. Smooth Yuffie, smooth.

The sex god nodded and opened his mouth. "Are you looking for anything specific….Yuffie?"

He said my name.

I melted then and there. At least, my brain did. But then I gained my cool back. Because I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, and not even the most attractive of men catch me off guard.

"Yeah, actually. You see, I was playing Drakenguard when I got thirsty and spilt Coke _all over_ my copy of Final Fantasy X, and it's like, my favorite game ever. And I need a new copy. Gimme the cheapest one you got!"

I stopped.

"…Please."

"Sounds tragic," He said and his lips upturned in a small smile. I grinned back at him and turned my head back to the rack.

"Yeah, it sorta was. I shoulda held a funeral or something. Cause, yah know, I put the fun in funeral," I said, totally blabbering and saying things that shouldn't have been said.

All he did was laugh. I took that as a good sign and sighed when I couldn't find a used version of my beloved game.

"Well, we have two copies, one used and one new. The only real difference is like two bucks but we've tested the used one so it should work fine," He said and I walked over to the cashier desk, setting my hands on the counter.

"Used is fine," I said and started bringing my wallet out.

He silently began to bring the game out of a slide out compartment in the counter when I noticed this wasn't the usual cashier, Reno. I guess I was too taken over by his looks when I first entered to notice.

"Hey, you're new here, artcha?" I asked while he scanned my game and racked up my purchase.

"Yeah, started two weeks ago. Only on the weekends though," He muttered and then looked me straight in the eye with piercing red eyes.

"$13.50," He said and I was lost in his gaze. I just stood there and watched him look at me, and imagined myself falling deeper and deeper into his red orbs until he cleared his throat and shook my bagged purchase.

"Oh, haha, I'm sorry, I zoned out," I said, my face going red.

"Your eyes are pretty," he said and I smiled.

"Thanks! They're my dad's!" I proclaimed with pride. He smirked and once again shook the bag.

"Don't forget the whole reason you came here," he said, still smirking. I smiled and took the bag from him, looking inside like it was a Christmas present. I looked up at him and smiled.

"I don't believe I got your name," I asked boldly. If there was one thing I was, it was bold. It was the Kisaragi way. Do not be scared of something that poses no threat. And this guy didn't seem _that_ threatening. Just dangerous, but in a hot way!

"Vincent," He said.

I nodded and twirled my bag around my finger. "Well, I'll see ya around, Vincent!"

"Have a nice night," he said like a good like cashier and I left the store with a blush up to my ears.

I got into my car surprisingly fast and by the time I gripped the steering wheel, I couldn't remember if I had walked or ran out of the shop. I was flustered and my hands were shaking and my mind didn't know how to put the car in drive. The radio seemed louder than usual and my hands didn't function enough to turn it down.

I wasn't good with boys. Ever. I was socially awkward in practically all situations, but it's not _me_ who's the awkward one. I have no shame in my game addictions and proudly announce that I am, in fact, a gamer, something that has made all of the boys in class foam at the mouth and all of the girls turn away in shame. But when someone comes up to me and asks me what my hobbies are and I reply:

"RPGs and FPSs, blogging, books, music, Photoshop, and anime," they generally get the wrong idea and think I'm a freak on a stick. But that's usually the popular girls, like Scarlet and Lucrecia. And I could give a rat's ass about them.

Guys usually are pleasantly surprised to find a (hot) girl like me plays video games, let alone first and third person shooters (FPS and 3PS respectively). They try asking me really simple questions but when I reply with all of my Achievements and kill counts which are better than 90% of the boys that have asked (I'm not cocky, it's just the truth.) they tend to get a bit intimidated.

I do have friends, though.

I have Tifa. I guess I could consider her my best friend. I talk to her more than any other girl in our school. Then there's Cloud, the cutie who has the biggest crush on her. He sits with us at lunch and I have Chemistry with him. And Shelke, the sophomore in advanced classes and the shortest girl I know. Tseng still hangs out with me sometimes and we've become close throughout the years, and we kinda had this thing going on in freshmen year then I realized how _horribly, horribly _wrong that relationship could have gone and ended it after a month.

And there's my boyfriend list! A massive total at one!

Barrett had grown up and had gotten all "gangsta" and joined the baggy pants crowd. Once I walked up to him and asked him to tell me what the African word for "ninja" was (come on! I was trying to rekindle old flames) and he told me to "Stop bein' a stereotypical white ass and go da hell away."

So he was kinda out of the picture.

But now look at me! Take a good hard look! I, Yuffie, had just successfully flirted with someone. Not JUST someone, but a HOT someone. Who liked my eyes. _My_ eyes. No one elses. My daddy's eyes.

I stared at myself in the rearview mirror and looked into my own grey orbs. I sighed. How did he find these things great?

Who cares! My brain told me. Backing out, I let out a huge breath of air. I sure don't.

And when I got home to my soft, blue bed, and curled up and pulled the covers over my head and traced the patterns on my penguin pajama bottoms. Happiness ran through my veins and my breath was fast and my face was still red. I hadn't brushed my teeth but I didn't care.

* * *

><p>"Oh-Oh my gawd..," I sniffled, grabbing for more tissues by my side and rubbed them against my eyes. My tears were flowing down my cheeks and onto my carpet (with a huge Coke stain on it) without stop. I blew my nose into the damp tissue and let out a tiny sob.<p>

My heart shattered with every moment that passed by and I strained to keep my eyes open, even though my eyes were already blurred by my ever present flow of tears.

"He…he wasn't real…," I murmured and dabbed at my eyes again. He never existed, all along. I went through all of that struggle and adventures with _him_ to find out that he actually **didn't exist**.

"Tidus…you're a real bastard…if you were my boyfriend I would dump your imaginary ass."

I had seen the ending to this game millions of times, over and over again, on YouTube and the television. It got to her EVERY TIME. I couldn't even imagine how Yuna felt….knowing that the love of her life was actually her IMAGINARY FRIEND sort of.

Stop lying to yourself, you've cried during video games too.

After I had re-bought my game from Mr. Hottie, I had went to bed (shocker) and woken up, slid out of bed, grabbed my butt and back pillows, and prepared myself for some Sin-fighting-tasticness. I ended up beating the game again before Sunday night, which is a new record for me. I even did some stuff that weekend too. I went to play mini-golf with Tifa and Cloud for like an hour and then I went home again but all that matters is that I do, no matter how small, have a social life.

So while the credits rolling and I shut my PS3 down, I wiped my eyes one last time and threw my tissue box on my shelf with anger. Why do all good things (games) have to come to an end!

"Yuffie….is everything alright?" My mother called from the kitchen downstairs after the tissue box made a definite SLAM into my bookshelf. I cleared my mucus filled throat and ran downstairs with my red eyes.

"Oh mother, my life is coming to an end!" I exclaimed, dramatically entering the kitchen and using a towel on the counter to blow my nose in. I could _hear_ my mother cringe before she turned around.

"Oh dear! What happened!" She exclaimed when she saw my tear streaked face. She left whatever was cooking on the stove to come and grab my face and looked into my eyes. I know she was trying to look for my father in me.

"I just…got dumped….," I said and slumped down, my arms hanging by my sides. My mother gasped.

"You had a boyfriend!" She said innocently and excitedly, holding her hand to her to mouth. I grimly nodded.

"He said I was too beautiful…and _amazing_ for him. I'm crushed, mother. I don't know how to go on. But in all actuality, I do have to admit, he _was_ completely right in every way, but still, I'm crushed," I said in a deep, sad voice. My mom lowered her hands.

"Yuffie….! I hate when you do that! Got me all worried for nothing!" She exclaimed and turned away from me and went back to cooking. I snickered.

"What disturbs me is that you can make yourself cry on will...," she said quietly and I laughed louder.

"Don't worry mama, I just read a really sad book and used my emotions to play a joke on you!" I lied.

"I don't know where I went wrong…," she said and I grabbed the keys from off a bowl in the counter.

"I'm going out, kay? I'll be back before….," I checked my watch. 6:03. Bad timing. "I'll be back in an hour. If not, imagine me saying that again," I grinned.

"You're going out looking like that? And an hour before dinner? Where are you going to go, anyway?" My mother said, looking at me with concerned eyes.

And walked over to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Mother, mother, no one will care what I look like. And I'll be back in _less_ than an hour, and I'm going to Neverland, duh," I said and quickly moved to open the front door. My mother sighed.

"Be safe."

"I will. Love you mama," I said and blew her a kiss.

She smiled. "I love you, Yuffie."

* * *

><p>I pulled into the GameStop parking lot with a grin on my face and still red eyes. I took a deep breath in through my nose and checked my reflection in the mirror. Sexy? No really. Pretty? Nope. Decent? Sure! Maybe he'll think I have Pink Eye, that'd be cool.<p>

I _sauntered_ into the store and tried to keep my smile down. He said he was working on weekends, and its 6:15 p.m. on a Sunday. That's still very much weekend to me. It took all the strength I had to not look directly at the cashier.

"Hello. Welcome to GameStop."

It was liquid silk; lion's giving birth, singing in the shower, the sun setting and winning the lottery all at once. It was gravel yet smooth and so, so, so very-

"Hi!" I turned and waved, my eyes closed in my classic happy face. I opened them to meet Vincent's gaze along with an agitated customer waiting to be rung up.

"You're back fast," He spoke quietly, as if he didn't want to disturb the already quiet store. He stayed glued to his spot and just looked at me and I hoped he didn't notice my eyes. Especially after he said they were pretty.

"Already re-beat it, for the third time," I said confidently, mentally patting myself on the back. _That_ better impress him.

"Ah, you've got me beat. My record's only twice," He said, smirking softly. His eyes twinkled with amusement and I smiled.

"Ahem!" The customer said. The man tapped his fingers angrily on the counter.

"My apologizes, sir. How may I help you, today?" His voice was now boring and robotic, like he was programmed to say these things. I wondered how rigorous the GameStop training was.

"I'd like to buy some goddamn games for my goddamn nephew! The little bastard's turnin' 13 and I gotta get him somethin' he better enjoy, not some crappy kiddie game!" The gruff customer exclaimed, his shaggy blonde hair flopping to the side and a pack of cigarettes coming out of his pockets.

Vincent straightened up at the man's words. "What is your nephew interested in, sir?"

The man growled and his hands seemed to itch for the Marlboro's in his pocket. "What erry' other kid his age likes, shootin' games. With those guns. Hell! I don't know! In my day, we worked in the fields all day! And stop callin' me sir, the names Cid Highwind, but that's Mr. Highwind to ya!"

My eyes widened. This guy's got nerve.

Vincent didn't seem impressed and shifted his eyes to look at the rack of games behind him. "Well, most of our games with those….attributes…are rated M…for mature."

"I know what the letter M means, ya dumbass!" Vincent raised his eyebrows.

"Mr. Highwind, if you keep addressing me like that, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Cid sighed and slammed his fists down on the counter.

"Sorry," He muttered. "Can ya just get me something so I _can_ leave?"

Even though it wasn't my place, I decided to help out the obviously distressed Vincent. "I know!" I said.

Cid turned to me. "No one asked you!"

"But I asked me! Get him _Portal!_ It's rated T, for _teen_, which your nephew seems to be, him being 13 and all. It's a really fun puzzle platform game. It'll test hit wits instead of how fax he can press the X button," I said and grabbed the specific game from off the shelf. (I had been eyeing it earlier.)

Cid just grunted when I presented it to him. "How much it cost?"

I told him the price and he seemed to not burst out into a cursing rage, so I took this as a good sign. He swiped the game from my hands and gave it to Vincent. "I'll take it," He mumbled and reached in his pocket, pushing his cigarettes aside.

Vincent, who had been silent this entire time(I can tell he's the quiet type…I always had a thing for the quiet ones.) scanned the game and bagged it, telling Cid the price again and swiped the man's credit card. I smiled in triumph and did a small happy dance from my place by the use game rack.

"Wooohooo! Thank you, mister!" I said happily and he just grunted.

"Have a good day, Mr. Highwind," Vincent said and turned back to the computer screen on the counter.

"Thank ya," Cid said very, very quietly and left the store, immediately bringing a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it directly outside of the store.

Vincent turned to me.

"That was impressive," he told me, looking me over again. I wondered if I looked hot. I was in my usual sneakers, black shorts and a thick sleeved tank.

"I guess that's just what I am, totally and utterly impressive," I smirked and crouched down to the lower level of the shelf. I hope he wasn't checking out my ass.

He chuckled lightly but didn't say anything else and turned back to his work. I sighed in frustration.

"So Vinny," Nickname is achieved, "what new ya got?"

He kept his eyes on the screen. "Depends. What console are you looking for?"

"Doesn't matter, really. I have a PS3, 360, and an old Gamecube (all that I had saved up for at my job as an usher at a restaurant called "7th Heaven.") in my room, even though they don't make anything for the Gamecube anymore, to my disappointment," I frowned.

"No Wii?"

My eyes narrowed. "Wii's are for," I stopped myself, "…wussies."

He was lucky he was hot.

He let out a fast and low laugh. "I totally agree. But don't tell anyone I said that."

I nodded and grinned to my ears. I slowly walked over to the counter and just stood there, waiting for him to finally look up from his computer. I made no sound while he typed away at the keyboarded, heavily focused on whatever graphs or sale marketing there was displayed in the screen.

I took this time to look at him, _intensely. _

His black hair was actually really long, most of it pushed back behind his black tee-shirt and his bangs being sprayed all over his face. His facial features were almost feminine in way; sorta soft yet had potential to be very rough and manly. His eyes were deep, deep red and endless, so it seemed. He wore a black GameStop tee-shirt and his lower half was hidden by the large desk in front of us.

Smirking at the fact that he still didn't notice me waiting, I slowly and quietly said, "Boo."

He _almost _jumped and looked at me, his voice a devoid of emotion. I giggled awkwardly and went to scratch the back of my head. "Scare ya?"

"Hmm. They call you a ninja for a reason," He said and I flushed. He remembered! It was kind of sad to think that this boy, no, _man_ knew more about me than most of my school.

"If you don't mind me asking, why exactly were you out here so late on Friday?"

I laughed. "You see, I _was_ being a ninja!" I probably sounded really stupid right now. "My mom...she has a problem with her senses and bright lights upset her. So she doesn't like me playing video games. But I adore them, and they give me something to do besides getting out and getting in trouble. So I have this huge collection back at my room, and my mom doesn't know. And I had to wait until she went out to sneak out to get here. I hate lying to her, but all in all, it's sorta worth it," I said. I hope that didn't sound that mean.

"Hmmm..," Vincent hummed. "That does sound very similar to being a ninja. Or just sneaking out like a normal teenager."

I looked at him. "But the thing is, I'm not normal."

Vincent's eyes glowed and in that moment I felt him stare so deeply into my eyes that I couldn't feel the floor from underneath my feet. Then, I wanted to know him. I wanted to know everything about him. I wanted to know why those red eyes glowed and why he worked at GameStop and why he was still talking to me.

"So," I said, "do ya have T_wilight Princess _in stock?"

He cleared him throat and looked down. "One copy for Gamecube. It's used and is around thirty."

I growled. Thirty bucks for a used game? I knew I was getting ripped off.

"Twenty."

"We don't barter here, miss," He said and lightly smiled at me.

"You know my name!"

"Thirty or nothing," He stood firmly. Damn, he was a good employee.

"Fiiiiiiiiinnnneeee," I whined and brought out my wallet. "I was gonna go get some McDonald's with the money I would have afterwards, but now I cannnn'ttttt," I wonder if that made me sound like a fatass.

I passed him the twenty, five, and five dollars in coins. Always gotta have the coins.

He took them (with a lot of surprise at the massive collection of coins) and put them into the cash register. He handed me the Zelda game without a bag because I didn't really need one. I took it into my grasp and winked at him.

"Thanks, Vincent!" I said and began to walk away when he called after me.

"See ya around, Yuffie."


	2. The Middle

**Side Notes and Sinking Thoughts: Chapter 2**

* * *

><p>"Party rock is in the HOUUUSEE tonight, everybody jus' havin' GOOOD TIIIMEEE!" I belted in the passenger car seat, my butt bouncing around in the poor (this chair was actually lucky to have MY ass in it.) leather seat and my arms fist pumping above my head.<p>

"And we gonna make you LOOOOSE yo' mind, we just wanna see ya….," Tifa chorused in from the driver's seat, her hands tapping to the beat of the song playing from the popular song radio station.

We stopped.

"Shake that." We said and promptly began to wildly dance as much as we could in Tifa's small, small car. Me, being the energetic and young person I was, was dancing much more than Tifa, but that could have been because Tifa was trying to actually drive.

"We're gonna get a ticket one of these days!" Tifa yelled over the pounding electronic music. I turned to her.

"You mean, you are! This is not my car!" I said and stuck my arms out of the passenger window and cheered in relief.

"Why exactly are you so happy right now, anyways?" My best friend asked me from inside of the car. I stuck my head back inside and grinned.

"Life is great, Tifa. Don't you think so? Just look outside. That, that right now," I said and pointed to a large, greet oak, "Is a tree. A beautiful, living tree. It's breathing, like all of us. Maybe it goes to tree school when we're not looking and plays tree video games when they get home and do tree homework like the rest of us. And that, that is beauty, to me," I said, gazing outside of the window.

"I think beauty is that fact that my step-brother finally got a job and my dad's playing golf again," Tifa said and turned down the music. I laughed and put my feet up on top of the front of the car.

We pulled up into Tifa's house on a Friday after school. Tifa turned off the car while I grabbed my stuff out of the back and we made our way into her cute little modern house.

Upon entering her front door, there was a long hallway leading towards a living room, a bathroom door on the right side of the hallway. To my right was a case of stairs and a hallway to a living room and on my left and was a hall leading to what I presumed was a master bedroom or a study. Tifa lead me up to her bedroom (bigger than mine, a bit brighter, and to my horror, a larger television) and let me drop off my stuff.

When we made our way back downstairs, Tifa told me on the stairway that her "step-brother was here, the one that got the job, and that he's not much older than her," I nodded, thought nothing of it, and continued on into the living room.

There, sitting on one of the white couches around a large flat screen, was Vincent.

It had been a week since I last saw him and he didn't seem that different. I hadn't returned to the GameStop because I simply didn't have to (and I didn't want to seem like a stalker) and hadn't seen him since the Cid incident. I stared at him in shock and he didn't turn from his Xbox controller, hopefully because we had been completely silent when we walked in.

Tifa opened her mouth. "Vincent, this is my friend from school-"

"Yuffie?" He turned the minute Tifa said his name and his face showed no sign of shock other than a light glimmer in his eyes. Tifa turned to me in surprise.

"You two already know each other?"

I blinked.

"_Yeah, started two weeks ago. Only on the weekends though."_

"_I think beauty is that fact that my step-brother finally got a job."_

How did I not make the connection before?

I had never been the most observant kid when I was younger. I was more focusing on when people left than what people did when they were still there. Putting two and two together always seemed to be a problem for me and because I never seemed to pick up on the simplest things. My mother, being the mysterious and intelligent woman she was, used to speak to me in riddle when I was younger and 90% of the time I had no clue in hell what she was talking about.

Maybe that's why I always misbehaved. I never really got the concept of my mother's words. I'd make up things that I understand and my mother never figured that out.

One day, Easter of third grade, my church put on an Easter egg hunt in a form of a treasure hunt with clues and everything. All the little girls in their little purple and yellow sun dresses had been lemmings and followed the clues to the best of their ability.

Then there was me, in my (dark) blue Easter dress and a white ribbon in my hair, the tails hanging at the back of my head like the ninja I was, snatching the clue out of the (now crying) little girl, reading it, not comprehending it (probably because I still didn't even know how to speak in _English_) and throwing it to the ground.

"I do not need a clue! Can you girls not find treasure by selves?" Okay, I was still shaky, but that made sense. But my language gap made me sound like everything I said was serious, and serious was the last thing that I was.

The little (crying) girls shook their heads, and took off with my basket (and then put said object on my head to resemble a hat) to find the colorful eggs full of _candy._

I'm more of a do-it-yourself person by nature.

I ended up only finding three with my 'let's-dig-up-all-off-the-church's-flowerbeds' technique, ruined my dress, and left the church holding my mother's hand(always) in tears.

So I stood there, in Tifa's living room, with wide eyes and in the middle of a flashback. Eventually, I sputtered out, "He works at GameStop, _Teeefa,_ why did you not _tell me_, you _know_ I love GameStop with_ all of my being,"_ I said dramatically and slowly, flailing my arms and turning my back to Vincent.

Tifa's eyes widened. "I didn't know you went to _that_ GameStop! He had just _got_ the job, I had no clue that _you would want to know!_" She said exasperatedly and very, very similarly to me. There was a reason that we were best friends.

Vincent raised his eyebrows again. "Nice to see you again, Yuffie."

I turned, eyes closed and my mouth open in a very big smile. I held up a hand. "Nice to see you _toooooooooooooooooooooooooo_!" And waved. I held out that 'too' until it became awkward.

"Well, I'm glad that you two already know each other, so it won't be awkward. Or maybe it'll make it more awkward. Or maybe me talking about it being awkward is making this so much awkward-"

"Tifa, stop it," I said to her, grabbing her arm. She blushed.

"My bad."

I looked to their large television screen. He was playing a classic FPS, like any normal boy(man) his age.

But wait…

"Tifa, you said Vincent was your _older_step-brother?" Older boy? Score!

"I'm eighteen," He answered for Tifa, and I suppose I should have asked him instead.

"Cool! Are you a senior or…?" I asked and wondered if I was prying too much. He already knew that my mom had Epilepsy(well, sorta) and that I'm the "Great Ninja Yuffie" so I thought I deserved to know more about him.

"Graduating this June," He muttered and said no more. He seemed quieter now. Was Tifa making this awkward or something? I mean, he was _her_ step-brother! They lived together! Maybe it's because he's just a quiet person and I, yah-know, _open him up_ with his inner demons and stuff. Maybe he has a dark past and his dad was a mad scientist or something. And I let him see the light because, you know, he's in love with me. Not.

The room was very, very quiet for a moment.

Tifa looked to her watch. "Well, it's like 5:30 right now, and True Blood comes on at six, and then we can have dinner. Anything you want to do after that?" My immediate thoughts went to '_video games_' but Tifa Lockhart wasn't a gamer and I doubt she ever will be, so we had to do _normal girl things_.

"We could go into your pool and see how can run through it the fastest with clothes on," I said and looked down at my shirt. I wasn't wearing white so everything was okay.

"Totally doing it," Tifa confirmed and Vincent snorted. I raised my eyebrows.

"Would you like to join us(me)?" I asked half jokingly, my hand on my hip. Vincent stiffened and continued firing at his game.

"That would actually be very entertaining to watch."

Score! He's going to see me _wet!_

"I'm glad we can add to your entertainment," I said and nodded to his Call of Duty game. Then I realized I sounded like a stripper.

Tifa's face was bright red with the 'wtf' expression on her face. I grinned sheepishly and grabbed her hand, dragging her out into the kitchen, safely away from her familiar step-brother, and blushed a blush that matched hers.

"I met him….I met him like two weeks ago, Tifa. He said my _eyes were pretty._"

Tifa swallowed. "You have….a…thing….for my brother?"

Thing? No. It wasn't a physical object, like a boner or something. It was a feeling. A feeling that made me want to talk to him forever and ever and learn about him and touch his soft hair. Well, I hoped it was soft. It wasn't a thing.

"Yeah, I guess," I said.

Tifa let out a loud laugh and buried her face in her hands. "Let's put it like this, imagine Cloud was your brother."

"That wouldn't work because I'm Asian."

"I said _imagine_. And I dated him," I knew she liked him, "How would you feel?"

"I wouldn't let you guys make out on the couch, because that's where I watch T.V," I said.

Tifa sighed and reached into her refrigerator, bringing out an apple and bit into it. The juices sprayed around her face and she wiped them off with the back of her hand. "He's never had a girlfriend."

I stared at her.

Even I've had a boyfriend. Tifa has. (But that's not surprising because her boobs are bigger than my grandmother's) Cloud's had a girlfriend. Even _Shelke_, the robot, has had a boyfriend. And this man, the sex god of GameStop and the man who thinks I have pretty eyes, has never had a girlfriend.

"Best friends don't lie," I said quietly and smiled lightly. Tifa laughed.

"It's true! Sure, he's had _interests_," Is that a new thing now? A girl he was interested in? "But nothing serious."

I guess we were similar in that way, then. Tseng and I were never, ever serious, and after we were over I had fooled around (a _bit)_ like a 'normal' teenager (something I'm not anymore) would, and that wasn't serious at all. But I knew that at that moment, I never wanted to just be an interest for someone. I wanted not to be a dull flame but more of an instant spark, something that catches your eye and then disappears until you try to re-create it again. But sometimes re-creating is can be harder than finding it in the first place.

"Hmm…," I hummed and peeked through the crack in the door to look at him. He was laying there with his feet propped up on the table, shoes off (white and grey socks), and white controller in his hand. He looked like an average video gamer, like every other boy who ever walked through the doors of GameStop. But I knew there was something different. There was something special about him.

A thought popped into my head.

"He said he's graduating. But I've never seen him in the senior halls," I told Tifa quietly so he wouldn't hear.

Our school was split up into four different sects. There was the freshman hall, where all the little newbies go and is a main watering hole for seniors ready for the hunt. Pranks are played occasionally (I have been involved in quite a few) and the little freshies run to their lockers and into their safe havens of classrooms for the time being.

Then there was the sophomore hall, where _no on_ other than sophomores went, simply because they were uninteresting due to them not being in the upper class but still experienced in the ways of highschool. I had totally hated sophomore year because Tifa was still is stupid Virginia and my best friend was a 14 year old genius named Marlene who had skipped two grades. She still had the perverted mindset of a middle schooler and me, being behind in absolutely _everything_ socially because of my language barrier problems, had made me still giggle when someone muttered "penis."

So we'd laugh and make your mom jokes, ignoring the dirty glares of the other "mature" sophomores. But we knew that whenever they got they'd just look up porn (well the guys) so it was basically the same except I didn't watch porn and I hoped Marlene didn't either.

Marlene ended up failing (epically) out of sophomore year. (Her father, Dyne, had put her in those classes and apparently she _wasn't_ a genius.) She went back down to ninth grade and is now a sophomore (again, the horror) and never talks to me anymore. Oh well.

Juniors have the most fun. They're not leaving next year and they're still upper class. They have the best wing in the school (with all of the windows), the best teachers, and the best times for lunch ever. (12:00 on the dot, right when my tummy begins to growl.)

And the seniors basically just play pranks and mope about how they don't want to leave.

But I had never seen Vincent lurking around the senior halls and I pass the goth kids _a lot_. (They usually go smoking outside the gym exit after school ends, the exact same door I go through to go running on the track.) But Vincent didn't look _that_ goth, just a loner, I thought.

"He goes to another school. A private one. St. Nibels Preparatory School for Juniors. Total Episcopal and prep school. I don't know how he survives," Tifa told me.

"Why don't you go there, too?" I asked, thinking how bizarre it would be to see Tifa in a uniform, let alone Vincent…in khakis and polo…holy shit.

"It's his _dad_, my step-dad. He makes him go and he's been going all his life. But there's no one like him there, so he basically sticks with himself. But all the girls go after him," She told me and I cringed. The girls in Gaia County Highschool (my beautiful school) would probably eat him alive. I've already done so with my eyes.

"You can say that again," I muttered and Tifa threw her hands up in the air.

"Yuffie! Can you please stop oogling over my brother! It's just _weird!_"

My phone buzzed.

Pulling it from my pocket, I looked at the caller idea, only to be met with a picture of a bell and "You have an appointment!"

I opened my calendar to see that True Blood was coming on in five minutes and another one for two hours later which read "Poncho's coming over" and I froze. Shit. Poncho's gonna be mad if I blow him off. I better get home early tonight.

I ignored Tifa. "True Blood is on," I said quickly and she squealed. She grabbed my hand and dragged me into the living room.

"Vincent! Move your ass!" She exclaimed and sat down next to him and I, having no idea where else to sit on the three person couch, sat on the other side of him, letting him be surrounded by lots and lots of Estrogen. (Mainly from Tifa's boobs.)

He grunted which I assumed was codename for "let me save." (something I totally identified with.) Tifa growled and grabbed the remote from him and changed the setting on the T.V. to 'video' to 'television.' My jaw dropped. Oh no she did not.

Vincent growled and grabbed the remote back, changing to back to 'video' and paused to save his game. Tifa looked at her watch (it was 5:57, there were three whole minutes to save his game _and_ grab sodas!) and said "We're going to miss the theme song!" (which we were not.)

She, using her INSANE strength (she took martial arts and could kick my ass in Karate), took the remote back and stuck it into her bra. No one dared to touch it.

"I hate it when you do that," Vincent said and saved his game, turning it Tifa as if to say 'okay bitch, now you can change the channel,' but I doubt he really said that and I just wanted to hear Vincent curse. (I have a thing for cursing guys.)

Tifa saved the poor, suffocating remote from her bra and changed the channel to whatever channel True Blood was on. I honestly didn't know, at all. I've never watched an episode in my life (I'd rather be watching X-Play) but Tifa adores it and if I get to sit by a pile of sexy I'm okay with it.

Surprisingly, Vincent sunk back into the couch and planted his eyes on the vampire show that was beginning. I marveled.

"You're going to stay and watch?"

"I guess."

"Do you have friends?"

"….yes."

"But you're going to watch a girly vampire show with your sister and her friend."

"I honestly have nothing else better to do."

"At all?"

"Nope."

"SHHHH! Will you guys _please_ shut the hell up!" Tifa yelled and threw the remote at me. I caught it with my (ninja) reflexes and set it by my side.

Ten minutes passed and I had no idea what was being shown on the television screen. All I knew was that I needed to redo my nail polish and that Vincent seemed to keep flashing his eyes to (check) me (out).

"This show is stupid," I whispered to Vincent, my eyes shifting to look at him while still staring ahead. Tifa didn't seem to notice.

"Tell me about it. Tifa watches it almost every day," He whispered back after a very long silence. I turned to look at him.

"Talk about torture," I said and he snorted while Tifa sighed loudly. We decided to shut up.

"Stephen Moyer is soooooooo sexy…," Tifa said dreamily as the credits began to roll, much to my relief. A whole hour of vampire romance is enough torture for me. I prefer actual television. (Spongebob and G4)

"Not as sexy as…," I stopped my eyes from looking at Vincent. I really need to stop thinking about how attractive he is. It's starting to annoy even _me_. "….Master Chief," I said lamely.

"What?" Tifa asked.

"Nevermind."

I waved my hand and saw Vincent was biting his lip. I wonder if he was trying to keep from laughing. I _am_ pretty damn funny.

"Aaaaahhhh," Tifa said after a few seconds of silence, her hands stretching above her head and her knuckles cracking. "What a good episode."

"Sure," Vincent muttered under his breath and I giggled.

Tifa stood and walked behind the couch. She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Help me make dinner!" She ordered and I stood immediately, putting my hand on my forehead in a salute and robotically said "Sir yes sir!"

Tifa snorted as she entered the kitchen. "I'm a girl!"

"Sure," I heard Vincent say again.

* * *

><p>Tifa made eggs for dinner. I helped by exclaiming "chicken abortion!" every time she cracked an egg.<p>

Her mom and step-dad were out all night. They stopped in a few minutes into making dinner, her mother quickly saying a "hello sweetie!" kissed Tifa and Vincent on the cheek and made her way to the master bedroom. The step-father, Grimoire (strangest name for a man ever), said hello to his son, nodded to Tifa, and completely ignored me. I can see where Vincent gets his personality from. (And his looks.)

Her mother reemerged from her bedroom in a (slinky) back dress and heels.

"We're going out for a bit, dear," She spoke in a soft, soft voice, similar to Tifa's, and patted her daughter's head. This actually meant that she was "going to get wasted," when Tifa told me after she left. I had nodded but was unable to imagine Tifa's kind and softhearted mother getting insanely drunk and partying, especially with _that guy_ she calls her husband.

You see, Tifa's parents got divorced when she was nine. She told me it was a really, really hard time because she loved both of her parents and they never fought around her, so it was completely out of the blue. She said she had cried and cried until her parents told her that "they still loved each other (lie) but just couldn't live with each other anymore (truth)."

She then moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia with her mother and adjusted to her new life as much as she could. She was prone to a lot of bullying during middle and early highschool years because she was developing (boobs) faster than the rest of the girls in her class. Ashamed and having absolutely no self confidence, Tifa's mom signed her up for Karate classes at the local YMCA to help build self respect.

Tifa learned to kick absolute _ass _(including mine) and began to ignore the words the girls whispered behind her back every day at school. She found people she could deal with (I had not yet graced her life.) and was content until she had to move _again, _this time to our lil' ole' town. I didn't really know why she chose to move here in the first place. This town is probably the most boring down in the whole United States.

It was a very, very normal town. A suburb that was close enough to the city but still had large fields of grass every now and then. Nothing significant ever happened in history here (besides having the largest amount of conformists living in a town) and the only really exciting thing about this place was its GameStop store.

The couple had left after a few short goodbyes,

"Goodbye, son."

"Goodbye."

And

"_Don't throw a party, Tifa_!" with a sing song voice.

And

"_You would know if I diiiiiiid_."

Then we were left alone.

The eggs were nice. They were yellow and squishy and _covered_ in large amounts of salt. (well, mine were.) On the side were some hash browns and a large cup of milk sat by my side.

Tifa called it "breakfast for dinner."

If my mother were here, she'd pee herself. And I mean that in a bad way.

"This is amazing!" I exclaimed while grabbing my fork and taking a huge bite into the yummy yellow substance. I hummed in pleasure. "Yuuuummmm-y!"

I stopped when I heard no other forks clattering on expensive china plates. I looked up to see Tifa with her hands placed together, eyes closed, and mouthing silent words. My eyes widened and I stopped chewing my egg and almost began to spit it back out onto my plate.

I quickly clasped my hands together and closed my eyes. I started reciting every prayer I've ever known.

'_Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so.'_

I opened my eyes to see Vincent staring at me. I gave him the 'what-the-hell-are-you-staring-at look and looked to Tifa. She had begun with her food with a smile. I joined her.

"AAAMEN!" I exclaimed and resumed my eating. I brought bite after bite of the delicious breakfast food into my mouth, trying to join in the conversation that Tifa had started with my mouth full.

"Yoof know, I've acchually only gone to churf like, three (chunks go flying) tiomes!" I blurted out, swallowing, and dabbed my mouth with a napkin.

Tifa just laughed. She honestly is the most laid back person I've ever met. "I'm surprised your mother didn't install the whole bible into your brain, considering her constriction of your experience with the outside world."

"I worked my way around that," and slapped my hands together triumphantly.

"Your mother…is strict on you?" Vincent spoke from his end of the table. I nodded.

"Kinda. I mean, I'm not allowed candy or anything like that, but I've probably had more sugar in my system than both of you at a time," I said.

"Hmm. That's quite strange, considering whom you are now," He smiled at me lightly and turned back to his food. I looked at mine. I was almost done.

Ten minutes passed and we had both finished our meals, my stomach full to the hilt. I grabbed my dish and made my way to the sink but Tifa stopped me.

"Yuffie, I'll do them, don't worry about it," She said, already at the sink and scrubbing off remains of food.

"But I barely helped cook!" I countered.

"No, Yuffie, I'm sure. Let me," I swore she winked at me.

Vincent had already left the room and went down the hall, and I made my way out of the kitchen. Their house was very nicely furnished with plush seating and beautiful paintings on the walls. Her living room carpet was soft enough to sleep on (my toes wiggled) and the air smelled like flowers.

I gasped when I heard a footstep and tensed my muscles. I turned and saw Vincent in the now dark hallway, his dark clothes creating a black silhouette around him. I smiled. "Your sister makes a mean dinner. Well, I guess it's actually a breakfast but we _did_ eat it for dinner. So I'll just call it brinner and make everyone happy," I said sheepishly.

Vincent smirked, turned around, and began to make his way up the stairs.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" I asked him and began to move myself from the plush carpet to the hardwood floors of the foyer and staircase. My socked feet gave me little friction and I felt myself slipping on the wood.

"Woah! This is so cool!" My mother only had tiles installed in our house, no wood. I picked up my feet and ran for a bit until I was about two feet from the front door and slid myself the rest of the way. "Wheeeeee!" I exclaimed and pulled my hands above my head. I turned to Vincent.

"_Please_ tell me you've done that before," I told him, setting my arms back to my side.

"I can't say I have," he said and made his way back upstairs. I followed him.

His back shifted with every step and I could see the muscles of his calf legs (they were exposed by black shorts and his leg hair was very prominent.) flex with ultimate power. I wondered if he could roundhouse kick.

He led me (or so I thought) down a dark hallway, due to the lights being completely off, and stopped to open up a door on the left side of the hall. He opened it with ease and walked into the similarly dark room.

I was almost hesitant to follow him for I wasn't very comfortable with the idea of going into a boy's bedroom. What if he had death metal posters and voodoo dolls? But I discarded my worries and entered the room with confidence and the first thing I noticed was the bookshelf.

It was made of light brown wood and as long as a foosball table. It stood taller than Vincent himself and was about double the size of me. There were planks of wood going across horizontally about four times and another four going up and down. This created a square bookshelf, to my amusement. But what shocked me the most was that it was filled to the complete hilt with books. Books of every size and length. There were long and thin ones that stuck out from the short and fat ones and short ones that were almost hidden by the dictionary sized novels. My mouth opened and I almost didn't notice where I was until he turned on the light.

The room was filled with a bright, florescent glow and I winced. My mind immediately went back to the days where I had to spend the night by my mother's side after she had an epileptic attack. The vision was accompanied with the feeling of anxiety and worry for my mother's safety. I remember holding her hand while she slept the side of my head on the mattress. I'd wake up everyone morning with a kink in my neck.

I unconsciously rubbed my neck. "It's bright," I murmured.

He was silent when he added even _more_ light into the room by turning on his bedside lamp and then turned off the main light above my head. I sighed at the dull glow in the corner.

"Thanks," I said.

"Are you…sensitive to excessive light?" What nerdy wording. I smiled.

"Nah, not really. It just hurts my brain," I said and it was mostly the truth.

I placed my hands behind my back and puttered towards his bookshelf. I looked at it in wonder and turned to him. "This is really amazing."

He came to my side and looked over his collection. "Thanks. Took awhile, but it was worth it."

I turned to look at him. "How long?"

He was startled. "What?"

"How long did it take to collect all of this?"

He took a long pause and ran the tip of his fingers over the spines of the books in a square on the edge of the shelf. There were so many titles. _The Great Gatsby, The Road, Eragon, Romeo and Juliet, The Chosen. _It was such a diverse collection. There seemed to be no real method to organization.

"I'm not done yet. I started when I was twelve, if that's what you're asking," He said and my eyes bulged. The bookshelf was completely filled and it seemed that as if someone tried to even slip in the thinnest of books the shelf would explode.

"That's impossible! You don't have enough room!"

He turned and pointed to a smaller yet still impressively filled bookshelf by the window on the wall behind us. I gasped in excitement.

"You're a bigger nerd than me!"

Now, I _could_ say that I was pretty proud about my book collection, all contained in a miniature bookshelf by my bedside. It consisted of _only_ my favorites (Twilight was thrown into the trash after the fifth chapter) and was almost as sacred as my video game collection. (Which I hid in a huge plastic bin underneath my bed. I never let my mother bend down when she's in my room ((and even that is a rare occurrence)) But now it obviously paled in comparison to this massive anthology.

He stood in silence and brought his fingers back to his side. "But that's not all," He said.

How could there possibly be more? His room didn't look big enough to hold all of it.

He walked over to his corner desk that was, surprisingly, in a corner and pulled out a compartment similar to the one he had pulled out my copy of Final Fantasy X from and revealed it similarly stuffed to the hilt, but this time only with cases.

I stood next to him (but not for long) and then slid down to the balls of my feet and ran my fingers across the cases in a similar fashion that he did a few minutes did.

"Wooow," I breathed in wonder. There were two compartments stacked above each other, the top one less filled than the bottom one, but was still heavily compacted. The top one, from what I could tell, was filled with solely movies while the bottom one was _overflowing_ (and I mean that literally, there were a few other cases scattered along the ground) with video games. I scanned over the titles, knocking off the games I've played and haven't played and then going back over again to see which ones of the ones I've play that I've beaten.

"This…this…my friend," I stood up and laughed. Slowly, I twisted my head to look at him, "is freakin' impressive."

He smiled. A silent thanks.

I looked back to the movie chest. My eyes glazed over at the beauty of it all, I loved almost every single one of those movies. He had everything, from _Bourne identity_ and _Mission Impossible_ to _Spirited Away_ and Season 3 of _Naruto_.

I rotated my body to stare at him in wonderment. "You are my favorite person in this whole world," I said.

"More than Master Chief?" he asked.

"Way more than Master Chief."

I almost thought he was going to kiss me for a moment, and in that moment I _really, really _wanted him to kiss me. His lips were bit darker colored than the rest of the skin on his face and I saw a few unshaved hairs around his chin. My fingers flinched to go touch them but I held my hand back. I grinned.

"You have Red vs. Blue."

"Indeed I do," He said monotonously.

"Generally, people need a sense of humor to enjoy that," I teased.

"And I am lucky enough to have one," He countered and I glared at him.

"Knock knock."

"Yuffie….that is not humor," He said with dull eyes.

"Knock knock," I repeated.

Silence.

"_Knock_ fucking _knock,_" I growled.

Slience. Finally, "Who's there?" with a sigh.

"Bhudda."

"Bhudda wh-"

"No no no! That one's stupid!" I shook my head and put my hands on my chin. I thought for awhile. "Knock knock!" I started again.

"Who is there?" He was sitting on his bed now.

"The," I held back a grin.

"The Who?"

"_Whoooooo_ are you?" (If you honestly didn't get this, stop reading this right now.)

I could feel him grin. I let loose and let out a loud laugh. I loved that one! He got up off the bed and stood in front of me. He then proceeded to laugh. Lowly and surely, but it was still there.

"See? I do have a sense of humor," He told me with a smirk. I playfully smacking him on the arm.

"I'll have to put that to the test. Let's watch Red vs. Blue," I said happily.

"Okay. When?" He asked and I flushed. (and mentally crapped my pants and literally had to flush) He had taken me seriously. We wanted to hang out in a place besides his house and my best friend's house and _by the way_ where the hell was Tifa? Washing dishes obviously did not take this long.

But the flirting has to begin sometime.

"Who knows? I'll have to check by calendar," I smiled and turned away from him quickly, tying my hands behind my back. I actually didn't have to check it at all and the only thing on it right now was Poncho and HOLY SHIT I FORGOT ABOUT PONCHO.

I took a deep breath. Don't worry, Yuffie. He won't hate you that much. This was more important than Animal Crossing.

"Hmm…," He hummed and I felt nervous. Maybe that was the wrong move.

I didn't turn to face him. "Call me. Sometime. Whenever you're bored or something. I'm bored a lot too, so I'll probably pick up. We can decide when to watch Red vs. Blue. If I don't pick up, then I'm playing play video games, and in that case just keep calling until I get so frustrated I pick up. Because I'll be happy you called me, even if it's in the middle of a boss battle or something. Because I think I'd rather talk to you than beat a video game. Well, maybe. You're just going to have to convince me of that by calling me," I said.

"I can't call you without your number."

And I told him. I looked straight at his familiar dark blue walls and recited each number of my cell phone number with a shaky voice. I needed to pee but I didn't, because I wanted him to have my number. When I was done I turned back around and looked at him again.

"You didn't write it down," I said.

"I think I've got it down," and he smiled. I smiled too. I hoped he had a good memory.

"I hope you have a-" I was interrupted by Tifa's yelling (screeching) my name. I stopped midway and bolted out of the room and down the stairs in faster than 20 seconds and stopped at the source of the yelling with Vincent right behind me.

"Tifa?" I asked when I reached her, sitting on the couch and watching television.

She didn't turn to me. "I just didn't want you guys all up there by yourself. Who _knows_ what could happen!" She exclaimed and I caught the wink she gave me. That _**bitch.**_

"Hahahahahaha," I said and scratched the back of my head. It was a fake laugh. I was embarrassed for the first time in awhile.

I checked my phone. It was nine. Better head home like a good little girl! Gotta get in bed by nine thirty. (sarcasm.)

"Tifa…I better head home," I muttered and looked down at my shoes.

"..What? It's nine, Yuffie," She laughed.

"My bedtime is nine thirty," I said seriously. Tifa chocked on her spit.

"WHAT!" And she burst out in a fit of laughter, much to my disappointed. Vincent gave me a look.

"Look, you guys don't know my mom. She's crazy protective. It's a wonder she hasn't called me already," as if on cue, my phone buzzed and my mother's picture showed up on the screen. I sighed and picked up.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm on my way home," I lied. "Yeah, I'll be home in five, I promise," I said and closed my phone.

"Do you see now?" I said tiredly. I suddenly just wanted to curl up in a blanket and play Mario.

Tifa nodded and stood up to hug me. I wrapped my arms around the thin girl and smiled. "Thanks for letting me over, Teef!" I grinned and let her go. She smiled at me.

"I'm glad you could come!" She said with equal vigor. I turned to Vincent.

"Nice seeing ya, Vinny," I said. He nodded.

"I'll call you."

I held back my blush and waved goodbye to the two, walking outside the door. Once I slammed the door shut I immediately heard Tifa begin to giggle and Vincent sigh at her teasing. I smiled wider. I really hoped he would call me.

* * *

><p>I got home, said hello to my mother and locked myself in my room.<p>

I took a deep breath.

"Ring," I told my phone.

The phone didn't listen and stayed silent, something that I was sort of thankful for because my mom would hear it and I honestly had no idea as of right now how I would be able to have a decent conversation with Vincent if I had to cover my mouth and hide under my bed to talk to him.

I shoved open my dresser drawer and discarded my top (a Relient K tee-shirt) and skinny jeans. My orange sneakers sat by my bed and I kept my socks to cover my feet. (I hated bare feet.) I slipped into some comfy pajamas (sweatpants with GHS inscribed on the side and a black tank) and sat on my ass in the middle of my room.

I still wanted the phone to ring.

My mother passed by my bedroom door at nine forty five and stopped when she saw the light on. "Yuffie?" she asked.

"Just finished brushing my teeth! Goodnight mama!"I yelled out the door and moved to turn off the light. My room was drenched in darkness and I returned to my position on my ass in the middle of the room. She called back with a soft "Goodnight, Yuffie," and shut herself inside of her room. I brushed my hair behind my ears and focused with all my might on the phone in my hand.

What if he didn't call because he thought I _actually went to be at nine thirty_? He couldn't think I was that lame, could he? I wasn't _that_ lame! I was just normally lame! He must know that The Great Ninja Yuffie would break her mother's rules just to talk to him. Especially after that hugeass ramble I gave him about being bored and-

My phone buzzed.

I wasted no minute in picking up. "Hello?" I whispered. I didn't even check the caller I.D.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" The deep voice said on the other line and if this were any other situation I would have thought he was a rapist.

"Oh shut up! What are you, my father?" This sentence brought on a wave of anxiety to my stomach and I clenched it to make the sadness go away. This wasn't a time to be upset.

"I would be deeply distressed and disturbed if I turned out to be your father," he said with amusement in his voice. I let out a small laugh.

I then realized that my mother probably could hear me and thought I was talking to no one (which is probable for me) so I scrambled for my iPod on top of my dresser. I fumbled with the phone with my hands full. I heard him mumble a few things when I didn't reply.

"Yuffie?" He asked.

"Hey, wait on a sec," I said and took out the headphones from my iPod and plugged them into my phone. I spoke softly and quietly.

"Okay," I whispered, "I'm back."

His voice surrounded me in every way, making its way into my head and finding a place to nestle in my memory, for me to never forget. "You're hiding from your mother, aren't you?" He asked, as if reading my mind.

I blushed and I wondered if he could hear. "You're a good observer. And you don't even have anything to observe other than my voice!" I exclaimed in the loudest voice that was appropriate for this situation. "So," I started. "Red vs. Blue. When and where? I'm free anytime if it includes you watching a comedy," I said.

"You forgot the fact that you'll be watching it alongside me," He said and I wondered if this was his way of flirting.

"Oh, my friend, but that is the best part."

"Hmm," He laughed. "I could come pick you up after work next Saturday," He said and I melted. The words 'pick me up' made my heart flutter. I closed my eyes.

"Ah-Ah-Ah, Vinny, you much come here," I told him.

"But your mother?" He asked.

"Trust me, I'll convince her," I left out the fact that the only teenager thing my mother _was_ supportive of was me getting a boyfriend, and that was the _one _thing I was incapable of doing.

"Hmm. Okay. So should I come over after work on Saturday?" He asked me. I grinned like never before.

"And what time is that exactly?"

"Around seven," and I almost laughed.

"Perfect! Just in time for dinner!" I said and cheered silently. I could imagine him going stiff over the phone.

"Okay. I'll be sure to be there," he said. I nodded even though he couldn't see it.

"Don't worry, my mom's not that bad. Just be yourself," I told him.

"But that might make things worse," he muttered and I shook my head.

"Trust me," and then suddenly, my ass hurt from the stuff carpet. My bed was sending me serious nap rays. "But listen, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, okay, Vincent?" He hummed again on the phone.

"Goodnight, Yuffie."

"Ninja out!" I said stupidly and slammed my phone shut.

* * *

><p>I made out with him. That's right, bitches. Be jealous.<p>

It was hot, too, his tongue was slick with saliva and he _almost_ touched my boob but I stopped him before I exploded from our combined sexiness.

Not really, I lied. I hadn't even told my mom he was coming over yet. I was debating on whether or not I should surprise her with a hot guy coming to dinner or get her prepared for a nerdy ginger and then BAM! A tall, dark, and handsome man waiting to eat her sushi. That's what she said!

After some time, I decided to go with Plan B and told my mom straight out.

"I have a boyfriend," I said and she almost burst into tears.

"Thank _Kami_," she started until I stopped her.

"I lied."

She glared at me. "Gosh darnit!" See what I mean? "Yuffie, you got me all excited….that's just rude…," She said but I stopped her again.

"But no, mama, really, I have a boy coming over on Saturday. His name is Vincent and he's really tall," I said, hopefully thinking that that would make her happier. Dad was tall, right?

"I don't know if I can trust you, Yuffie, and parenting is all about trust."

"Nah, mama, I do. He's really cool (truth), smart (probably truth), nice (surprising truth), attractive (definite truth), and has freckles (lie), likes music (maybe), and has the _softest_ red hair you can ever imagine(downright lie, even though his hair _was _soft)," I flip flopped.

My both just stared at me. "Why had you been touching his hair?"

I then realized I have never actually touched his hair. "He had dirt in it. " (Really obvious lie)

My mother sighed. "As long as someone shows up to dinner, okay, I'll make three dishes," She said exasperatedly. I cheered and wrapped my arms around her.

"Hurray! Thank you, Mama! You're the best!" I smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Hmm. Run along now," She said as if I was still a five year old. I said nothing and did as I was told.

* * *

><p>The ring of a doorbell made me pause my iPod (jamming was currently going on; this included rabid dancing) and wipe the layer of sweat off of my forehead. I looked down at myself.<p>

I was breathing heavily from a techno-ensued dance party in my room (these were normal occurrences) and my armpits were damp. Shrieking, I threw off my gross pajama shirt (had I not changed that day! I had my first date in months and I didn't bother even getting ready) and put on something moderately cute. (Meaning a pink polka-dot tank)

I dragged my comb quickly through my hair, adjusted my necklace and realized Vincent was stand outside my front door.

Swinging my legs over the railing of my staircase, I slid down to our living room with a loud "_wooooooooooooooo!"_ and then almost fell flat on my face when I reached the bottom and that's when I noticed Vincent talking to my mother right in front of me.

I regained my balance and stood straight up, fixing my cleavage so it wasn't _too_ obvious(even though fixing it in front of my _date ((_which consisted of watching Red vs. Blue in my bedroom. How romantic)) made it a little more obvious) and smiled.

"Vincent!" I said.

"Yuffie," He nodded.

A big pile of awkward walked into the room and sat down at my couch.

My mother laughed and glared at me. I knew what she was thinking.

"_This exceeded every single expectation I ever had! Yuffie, marry this man before I die, _please!"

Well, maybe that's what she was thinking.

"This is my mother!" I exclaimed and pointed at my mother. My mother closed her eyes.

"I already introduced myself, dear."

Right. I was being really stupid and awkward because I was seventeen and still a teenager and I hadn't even touched a guy's chest before. I wondered if Vincent had ever touches a pair of boobs before. I wondered if he thought they were squishy, maybe he didn't like them. Maybe he thought boobs were the _most disgusting thing on the planet _and was horrified by mine. Oh wait. I looked down. I didn't have any! (A cup for the win!) And this was a really bad thing to think about while in front of your mother and date-like-person.

"Totally knew that," I said smoothly and walked over to create a triangle. I smiled used my pointer finger to outline the shape we made. "Look, guys, we're a triangle."

My mother sighed and returned to the kitchen while Vincent smiled at me.

"Hello, Yuffie," He said to me.

I almost hugged him but then I realized that that would have made this outing brotherly and _no way in hell_ was I going to make this brotherly so I just (once again) smiled at him. Thank god I had braces.

"Hey, Vinny. Hope my mom didn't eat you out before I got here," that's what she said and that's what I said.

He didn't seem to notice. "She only seemed quite surprised when I knocked on the door. You did inform her that I was coming over, correct?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I told her you were a ginger," I said.

He sighed and chuckled lowly. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm the complete opposite of a ginger."

"And I prefer it that way," I said and grabbed his hand, leading him into the kitchen. Our finger tips brushed and I felt fireworks.

Mother made teriyaki chicken and noodles for dinner (I had asked Vincent if he liked Japanese food, to which he replied that he'd eat anything) and she had basically interrogated him through all of dinner. I didn't get to say much besides the occasional "mhmm!" and "nyuk nyuk" and "man I love noodles!"

My mother's and Vincent's conversation was basically this in code:

"Are you going to sleep with my daughter?"

"No."

"Are you going to touch my daughter in any way?"

"No" (already a lie)

"Are you going to leave at an appropriate hour?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"This dinner is quite good Miss. Kisaragi."

"Mhmm!"-me.

"Thank you, Vincent."

My mom had basically taken on the classic "poke my daughter and die" attitude that was usually found in a _father_ (the sadness returned) and made is so, so very obvious. While her words weren't word for word of what I said above, anyone with half a brain could tell exactly what he meant.

"Man, I love noodles!" I said happily and patted my full stomach. Vincent sat next to me and sat straight up in his chair, all of his food gone off of his plate while I still had many crumbs and vegetables still left on mine. I sighed.

"Did you enjoy dinner?" I asked him quietly. His lips upturned slightly.

"It was…eventful," he said before my mother returned from the kitchen to grab our plates. I took this moment to speak up.

"Mama," I said and Vincent grunted in amusement, "We're going to go upstairs, alright?" I asked politely. My mother shot me a nervous look and a very, very deadly one to Vincent and after the longest silence in the history of silences, she nodded.

"You must still be in bed by nine thirty, though," She said while we made our way to leave. I cringed.

"Maaaammmmmmaaaaaaa," I whined and quickly left the room while she snickered alone in the kitchen. She knew how to embarrass me.

I took Vincent upstairs and stopped in front of my room.

"Now, I know your expectations must be _really_ high up for a ninja filled booby(hah..booby)-trapped room, but in all actuality (I loved saying that!), I am simply just a girl who likes to play video games," I told him and he nodded. I almost winced when I flipped on the lights and I saw his eyes flash to my miniature television.

"Don't laugh! My mom won't get me anything else!" I said before he could say anything.

"You want to watch Red vs. Blue on _that_?" he asked, pointing to the small screen. I put my hands on my hips.

"I have been playing video games on that beautiful little television since I was ten freaking years old. It's the oldest piece of shit in this house but it still displays my 360 so I honestly don't care unless it works. And frankly, I think it had more sentimental value and memories than _your_ artsy fartsy 'flat screen,'" even though we had a flat screen downstairs in the living room.

"You have a flat screen in your living room," he told me.

I sighed. "I know."

He attempted to put the disk of Red vs. Blue in the dinosaur but after ten minutes of watching him from my comfy spot on my bed, he gave up and told me my television wouldn't play it and they could just go back to his house to watch it but I put a finger on his lips, crouched down, and dragged my old DVD player from my younger days out from under my bed.

"Taaaa-da!" I announced. He didn't look happy.

"You could have shown me that earlier."

"But that would have ruined all of the fun!" I said the poked him on the chest. (Oh my god I just touched a guy on the chest.)

I slid the DVD into the ancient player and turned up the volume after pressing play. Grabbing my butt and back pillows from off my bed, I sat down and grabbed my blanket like usual and almost grabbed my Xbox controller from under my bed. Then I remembered I wasn't going to play video games.

I looked at Vincent and scooted over.

He stayed where he was.

I scooted some more and patted the piece of pillow beside me. "Come on! There's enough room! And don't even try sitting on the carpet, your ass will hurt after twenty minutes and you'll have too much _manly_ _pride _to tell me to scoot over so I'm already scooting and my butt is halfway off of this pillow already so sit your ass down before you have to suffer the entire movie."

He was already there, sitting on top of the blanket and leaning against the back of bed with his arms folded over his chest. The DVD menu for Red vs. Blue was already on the screen.

"Nu-uh, mister. You are getting under these covers. It gets cold in here, and I feel like a burrito right now because your _muscular legs _are keeping this blanket really tight against my leg and if this continues to go on I may die from lack of blood circulation," and then he was under the blanket with me and we were _cuddling_.

"You can't die from lack of blood circulation," he said, looking at me with those crimson eyes of his. I bring my knees up to my chest to match his posture and our knees touch (and there were fireworks) through our jeans and I was so happy at that one moment that I wanted to press the pause button on my remote and just stare at this beautiful situation.

But instead Vincent made his way to the remote, leaning across me, and for the second time in my life I thought he was going to kiss me, but he just returned to our knee touching and pressed the play button.

I was about to ask him if he had used the bathroom so we wouldn't have to pause but I was already absorbed into the movie. I never looked to him for the first fifty minutes because this movie was _so damn funny_ and then I noticed him laughing, really laughing, and it was the nicest sound in the world. I laughed too and we just sat there, laughing together like we'd been best friends for our entire lives, not like we had only met each other three weeks ago and he was just a cute cashier at GameStop. But right then I knew that it was something more.

I swallowed and looked at him through the corner of my eye. He looked happy, really happy, and his eyes gleamed with the sort of gleam an eighteen year old should have in his eyes. And I smiled really big because I knew that everything was going so, so right for me for once and I leaned over and I kissed him.

My mouth missed his, at first, and I ended up hitting the skin just underneath his nose instead of his mouth. I blushed and tried to move until I felt both of his hands come up to grasp my face. At first I thought he was going to push me away but he old smirked and guided my face to fit into his like a puzzle piece and our lips touched.

He shifted and cupped my cheek and his other hand traveled down to my wait to softly hold me. My hands were still limp by my side and I had no idea what to do with them so I just left them there. He kissed me and me, having no real idea on what to do (having been kissed only twice before) just let him take the lead and I followed to the best that I could.

I eventually needed some air and I (stupidly) opened my mouth to breath and I took in his whole scent when my nose decided to breath too. I almost fainted then and there but I felt him kiss me harder and almost smash my face to his. I decided not to breath out because that would been entirely unattractive (what if I blew snot into his mouth?) and almost fainted again when we parted due to lack of air.

I didn't even look at him. My eyes shot to my carpet and how the bright white threads drastically turned to dark brown from my Coke incident that actually _started _this entire thing. I took this moment to thank every_ single _bottle and can of Coke I've ever had because it brought me to this moment where I was bursting with happiness and I wanted nothing else to be different in my life.

I heard him let out a shaky laugh. My head shot up and I looked at him with a closed smile and shiny eyes. I felt my face burning and it was almost as if someone was holding a lighter to my face. And I realized that they _were, _and Vincent was this lighter, as cliché as that sound, but not just a lighter, he was this huge forest fire that was burning down the forest around my backyard and killing innocent squirrels but those squirrels were _worth it_ because he had kissed me.

His mouth opened to say something. My finger returned to his lips.

I shook my head. Nothing needed to be said right now. Everything was perfect at this moment.

The finger on his lips left and that hand drifted down underneath the blanked to grasp his hand (I had a hard time finding it) and hold it tightly. He lightly squeezed back and I turned back to my television and I honestly had _no idea_ what that movie was about anymore.

* * *

><p>After he left (no more kisses were held that night, for my mother was right behind us the minute we stepped out of my bedroom) I shut the door turned around and slammed my back into it and sighed dreamily like all the girls do on T.V.<p>

"He's so _dreamy_," I told my mother. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"You lied to me."

I walked away from the door. "You didn't honestly think I'd date a _ginger, _did you? Mother, think of what our children would look like? _An Asian ginger_."

I could see my mother cringe. "He's a very attractive man," she said.

"You can say that again! Man, mama, I can't even remember the last time I felt this happy!" (actually I could, it was when I was first in line in Wal-mart for the 360 opening and kicked the asses of everyone who tried to cut in front of me.)

"As long as you're happy, dear, then I am happy," she said and walked out of the foyer. I was startled. She actually approved of him? This meant that I could actually _peruse_ him and maybe _go out with him_. (I mean I had already like, made out with him.) My spirits lifted even higher until I felt like I was going to bust.

"I'm going to bed (lie), Mama! I love you!" I called after her and made my way up the staircase.

I heard a quiet reply that I couldn't really make out and closed myself into my room. I threw on some pajamas and pulled my hair back into a small ponytail and grabbed my phone. I dialed Tifa's number without thinking.

"Hello?"

"I KISSED HIM," I said.

There was the _longest silence I have ever gotten from Tifa _and then finally she let out a "Uuuuuuuuh."

"Is that a good or a bad uuuh?"

"It's a moderate uhhh."

"What the hell is a moderate uhh?

"You kissed my step-brother, Yuffie. Don't I have some rights to be a _little _disturbed?" She said and I could feel a _wee bit_ of annoyance in her voice. I guess she was right.

"But it was perfect, Tifa. Even my _mother_ likes him. I think something serious could come out of this. Maybe I'm just being hopeful and delusional because I just kissed not only my best friend's step-brother but I just kissed the cashier I met in GameStop three weeks ago. Are we going too fast? Do you think he thinks I'm clingy? Oh _god_ what if I was a terrible kisser? I mean I've never really practiced before and my lips aren't exactly nicely sized so he might think I'm just a poor excuse for a girl, I mean _look_ at my boobs, Tifa! They're miniscule!"

"Yuffie. Your boobs are fine," she said.

"Thank you!" I said.

"Look, he's not even home yet. He's probably just as flustered as you are, but he won't show it, because he's Vincent and he doesn't talk. I'm actually amazed he kissed _you_," I was momentarily offended, "considering you two are complete opposites, but I guess in a way, it's kind of cute," I could imagine her smiling on the other line.

"Ah, Tifa," I flopped down on my bed, "I have butterflies. Is this normal?"

"You've never really liked someone, have you?" She asked me.

"Not like this! But I..," I laid my hands on my stomach, "I kinda like this feeling."

"It's normal, trust me," she said.

I let out a garbled sigh. "I'm gonna have the best damn dreams tonight."

Tifa laughed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"That's exactly what Vincent told me!" I stopped and deadpanned, "But yeah, I better go. Thank ya, Teefs. I'll call ya tomorrow!" I told her.

"Bye bye, Yuffie," and she hung up with a giggle.

I sat up on my bed and brought my legs towards my chest. Setting my head on the top of my knees, I thought about every little thing that happened that night and felt my face go red again from embarrassment. That boy (man) knew how to move his lips.

I checked my phone again saw that it was only ten o'clock so I flopped down onto my carpet and flipped on my television. I pondered on what to do for a moment when I saw the Red vs. Blue DVD menu come up. I smirked lightly to myself and pressed play, readjusting myself into the same position I was in only two hours ago and imagined Vincent sitting beside me.

I tried as hard as I could to remember the part where we kissed but for the life of me, I couldn't. I sighed and sat and watched the movie in silence, snickering at the really funny parts and ignoring the rest of the movie. I slunk down into my normal bored position in my pillows and flipped on my 360 once the credits began to roll, sticking Fable 2 inside and falling into my normal nightly routine.

I shut the lights off and stifled a yawn, my hands moving methodically across the controller.


	3. The End

**Side Notes and Sinking Thoughts: Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>The next few weeks had been probably the best weeks of my life. I had woken up with no new messages on my phone so I decided to text Vincent and Tifa, asking when we should hang out again.<p>

Tifa had teased me (an action she began to do more and more often throughout those weeks), saying that I only wanted to hang out with her step-brother and not her. I let it blow over, even though at a time it was sort of true. It took Vincent a long time to reply (I got a text at five o'clock the next night) and I deemed that he was not a texting person. (A sad thing, since I was an addict to it…even though the only people I ever texted were Tifa and Cloud.)

His reply was a simple "Okay."

I wondered how long it took him to type it and what type of cell phone he had. He probably still had a flip phone (to which I giggled uncontrollably) and _never_ texted anyone all day before, yet I kind of preferred it that way. We weren't even going out (yet) so we didn't have to talk all the time, and even if we did (do) we would probably give each other valuable alone time.

My reply was a long ass text asking him how "okay" was an appropriate response to "when do you want to hang out?" to which he called me and told me he didn't know how to text. I then threw my phone on the ground and was almost screaming in laughter.

"Vincent, you make me laugh," I told him afterwards.

"I thought you were dying," he replied.

We all ended up going _on_ the double-date-like-thing with Tifa and Cloud but we went to go see _Super 8 _instead of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2_ despite all of my begging to go see the former. But I was the only on in my group who loved Harry Potter and I had already gone to the midnight showing so I was told to deal.

It was actually a pretty sexy outing, because Tifa wore this really short skirt and Cloud was drooling all over the place. Cloud looked pretty sexy, too, but not as sexy as Vincent, because when cloud wore jeans and a dress shirt (he took this 'date' seriously), Vincent wore a black _Avenged Sevenfold_ tee-shirt and dark jeans with sneakers and I was _dead_. It was perfect because I was wearing a black skirt (long enough, thank you very much) and my bright blue bunny shirt and we were perfect. I don't even know _why_ we were perfect but we just were.

_Super 8_ ended up being really, really awesome because I actually paid attention this time and Vincent didn't try to snog me. We sat next to each other and talked almost the whole movie (mostly me, though, I think he actually wanted to watch the movie)but other than that we were basically just friends going to the movies together. I was content with this but in the bathroom I opened up to Tifa:

"He didn't kiss me!"

"We're in public…and he's with his step-sister."

"Right!"

And then we proceeded to leave the girls bathroom and I chucked my extra-large Coke (in honor of Vincent) into the trashcan.

"Did you finish all of that?" Vincent had asked in alarm. When I had bought it he gave me the "are you serious?" look and I didn't make him pay for it. (even though he paid for my ticket) I had grinned at him.

"Yes sir! I just took the _biggest piss_ too because by the second half of the movie I was like, ten minutes away from peeing in my seat and-"

"Well! We better get going, you guys!" Tifa told us, saving me from total embarrassment.

"Yeah," Cloud said with a nod. (His only line in this entire story.)

I blushed and stopped talking. Vincent looked at me like I had grown three heads. But I think it was a good look.

I followed Tifa and Cloud outside of the movie theater with Vincent right behind me. Tifa said she had to go back home because she had work in an hour and Cloud walked her to her car. (What happened after that I will never know, even though I do know and I just don't want to tell you.)

This left Vincent and I alone.

"I had fun," I told him and he grabbed my hand before I could say anything.

"Yuffie," He said and I smiled at him, squeezing his hand in mine.

"Vincent!" I exclaimed happily and threw my hands above my head.

He cleared his throat. His back was stiff and he looked awkward. I narrowed my eyes and gave him a questioning look. "Is everything alright?"

He couldn't look me in the eye. Oh my god, it was the piss thing. My bladder is turning him off.

"Would you, um, like to continue on accompanying me…on situations…similar…to these?"

I blinked and just stood there in the middle of the movie theater lobby. What exactly was he asking me? Did he want to go to the movies again or do different things like go get ice cream or something? It was funny, imagining Vincent and I going to go get ice cream (even though we did eventually do it) and smiling and laughing together (even though we've _already_ done those things) and he'd probably get some dark and brooding ice cream (like an ice cream sandwich or something) and I'd get sprinkles everywhere. And we'd be _happy_, so, so very happy. And then I realized what he meant.

"Are you asking me out?"

"I guess you could call what I am doing…that," He said gruffly.

My eyes widened. OH HELL YES.

He looked startled and I noticed I said that out loud and _very, very _loudly, a large group of Asians (hello brethren!) looking over to Vincent and I with angry looks on their faces. I then cleared my throat in a similar fashion to him and scratched the back of my head. My backs stiffened too and I clenched my fist and deepened my voice.

"I would be very jovial and interested about joining you on outings such as these and I would thoroughly enjoy gaining the title of a friend that is a girl but it something more than a girl because they're romantically involved and I'm not good at imitating you, Vinny."

He stared at me for a long while and I wondered if he was contemplating whether or not he loved me (.oo1% of that happening) and then he kissed my cheek like a good gentleman does. He grabbed my hand and gave me a small smile. "May I accompany the lady to her car?"

"Hell yeah you can!"

And that's the story of how I got a boyfriend. The end.

I lied! (I do that a lot in this story)There is still a lot more to go on this story and this is not the climax.

So weeks passed and Vincent called me every now and then. I stopped by GameStop on weekends and I'd bring him food sometimes (because I'm a good girlfriend) like McDonald's because I effing love McDonald's. He'd told me before that he's not a fan of fast food but I disregard that every single time I order him a happy meal. I happily gave it to him on his lunch break on every Saturdays (which is when we always meet up) and he always blushes, tells me to stop it, and then eats in anyway. But I always make him give me the toy because I love the toy.

Sometimes I'd call him when I'm playing video games and we'd play Xbox Live together like the nerdy couple we were and kick complete and utter ass with our co-op skills. We became known as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" around our local Xbox Live group. (Mostly because I'd chant the name repeatedly into my headset while kicking ass, as always.) Or he would come over my to house and I'd read my favorite chapters out of my book collection to him and he'd listen. He'd listen to anything I'd say and I never figured out why. At first, I thought his occasional "mhmm's" and "I see's" were his mindless attempt at fooling me, but I later learned that he actually _was_ listening to me, every word I said, and that meant more to me than anything ever could.

We would go over to his house and I'd hang out with Tifa and even sometimes Cloud if he was over too. Tifa would cook some delicious meal or I'd prank call Pizza Hut until I got hungry and actually wanted to order some pizza. (They would usually refuse until I called back from another number with a fake voice.) Watching movies was a normal occurrence, with or without Tifa. I made Vincent re-watch Red vs. Blue with me over and over again one night at his house until I got dizzy from his kisses. But it never got dirty; at least I don't think so. He never touched me anywhere I wasn't comfortable and he made everything even _more_ comfortable with his small murmurs and hand holdings.

It was March when my mom began to get sick again. She'd drop her utensils from her shaky hands during dinner and I'd have to help her in and out of bed and showers occasionally. She said she was taking her medication like she normally would but something just didn't feel right. I had to watch her a lot, so I spent most of my time downstairs with her in the living room. I did my homework on my father's old desk by the grand piano and would watch a small amount of television before my mom went to bed. I tried spending a lot of time with her by talking, but she started to become quieter and quieter as the days went by.

Things like that had happened beforehand in my life, so I didn't worry too much and never took her to the doctor. The only real thing I did was get her meds refilled.

* * *

><p>I woke up the morning of May 2nd, 2011 feeling dead like usual, for I was <em>not<em> a morning person.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh…," I groaned and threw my beeping phone to the ground. It went quiet, my breathing stopped, and I realized I had to go to school. "Uggghhhhh…," I said again.

Slipping out from underneath my wonderfully cozy blankets, I grabbed my robe and tied it around my shivering body. My mom always liked to keep the house incredibly cold (she was getting old) and much to my horror, it actually _helped_ her. Me, being the heat and summer lover that I am, lived in the freezing temperatures begrudgingly and dealt with it, simply because I didn't want to upset my mother.

I almost fell down the stairs like normal and walked into the kitchen. My mother wasn't there (like she usually was) so I assumed was still asleep. I took this time to pump up the heat in the kitchen. I stood by the heater and thawed my cold toes.

"Uuuuuuhhhh," I said in pleasure.

My toaster fell victim to my cooking abilities when I forcefully shoved two waffles into its awaiting mouth. (Take that, waffles!) I then sat my ass down on a kitchen chair and sipped at some orange juice while my waffles cooked. (Burnt)

I looked to the clock above the stove and saw that it was six forty-five. Perfect. I like my morning's niiicee and sloooww.

When my waffles sprung from their confinements, I grabbed them and drowned them in syrup (low fat; mom) and grabbed a fork and knife. I didn't even both to sit at the kitchen table and I ate each waffle in three bites on the counter.

"Uuuummmmmm," I groaned at my full stomach. I put the dish and cup back into the dishwasher and slowly trudged my way upstairs. It felt like I was climbing a mountain.

I made it into my room surprisingly still alive and threw off my clothes. My dresser was open from my search for pajamas last night and I grabbed a purple dress (for the spring!) and debated between sneakers or flip flops. My eyes shot back and forth between my beloved orange shoes and small white sandals my mother had given me for my last birthday.

I picked the sneakers.

I dug the brush through my hair in one quick motion and grabbed my phone to annoy Vincent with an obnoxiously early good morning text even though he probably wouldn't reply.

Grabbing my black backpack from the corner of my room by the television and slinging it over my back, I made my way outside the door. I looked to my mother's room.

"I'm heading to school, mama! I'll see you later!"

I got no reply so I assumed she was just really, really asleep. I made my way outside into the cool, spring air and got into my little blue car. I sighed and turned on the engine and rubbed my eyes.

Gaia High School wasn't but ten minutes away (I still had no idea where the hell Vincent went to school.) so I drove slow and sang along to a CD I had made more morning such as these.

I pulled into my parking spot in student parking (the one I used every single day) and shut off my car. Turning my head I saw Tifa and Cloud holding hands (d'aaaww) and I sprinted out of my car to be annoying and ruin their fun.

"HEY GUYS!" I screamed behind them and jumped in between them, making their hands become unclasped. Tifa looked at me and laughed but Cloud wasn't as happy.

"Hey, Yuffie, you're energetic this morning," Tifa told me and Could told us bye after we entered the building. We (me) were probably embarrassing him with our best friend antics.

"Not really, but I saw you two and felt the need to be obnoxious," I told her and grinned.

"I didn't know that was a need, I thought you just do it without thinking," and I promptly slapped her.

Tifa opened her locker and I leaned against the one next to it, talking aimlessly about my adventures in gaming last night while I doubt she listened.

"Teeeefa, you're thinking about Cloud, aren't yeeewww?"

"And you're thinking about my stteeep-brrotthheerr," she teased.

I flushed. "Actually, five seconds I was, _in fact, _not thinking about him, but now I am and I must thank you for gracing me with such sexy thoughts."

"Please don't tell me Vincent is sexy," she said.

"But he so is!"

It was hard to deny it, but I think it was easier for Tifa considering she lived with him. I still had a hard time accepting that, the fact that my best friend lived with my boyfriend. I almost thanked god every night that they weren't _actually_ related.

I said goodbye to Tifa and made my way into first period (English) with Mr. Angeal. The halls were mostly quiet by the time I used the bathroom and went to my locker to get my textbook. I sat down in my regular seat and noticed how Mr. Angeal forgot to shave.

"Good morning class, this morning we're going to…,"

"Uggggghhhhhhhhhhh," I said quietly and stuck a piece of gum into my mouth. I can't focus on books this early in the morning. I almost slammed my face down onto the desk in front of me.

It was about forty minutes into class when the intercom above us beeped. There was a pause and a breathy voice coming from the walls.

"Yuffie Kisaragi please report to the main office, Yuffie Kisaragi please report to the main office."

By the time the voice began my voice for the second time my bag was already over my shoulder and I was opening the classroom door. I'd get the homework from Tifa later. I didn't even bother listening to Mr. Angeal's goodbye.

I always loved times like this, when I got to be outside of the classroom while everyone else was inside of them. (this mostly happened when I was going to the bathroom) I didn't even think about why they would be calling me, the only thing that mattered was the fact that I got out of class this early in the morning.

The bell above the door to the office rang when I entered and it reminded me of the first day I walked into GameStop. My stomach fluttered and I smiled, walking up the main desk. I looked at the chubby lady we call our school secretary.

"I'm Yuffie Kisara…," I stopped when I saw the doctor.

He had a scruffy beard and shortly cropped hair and if I didn't have a boyfriend I would have found him handsome. He sat in one of the chairs against the walls of the office with a frown plastered on his face. My heart, shrinking to the size of dust, sank into my stomach.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I recognized him. He was my mother's doctor.

"Yuffie, please follow me," He said and I didn't move. My eyes were wide and my breath hitched.

"Why are you at my school? What the hell caused you to come here?" I asked him with my fist clenched. Anger burned through my veins and I didn't know why. I didn't move. I never moved.

"Please, let's discuss this in private," but I refused. My feet were glued to the floor and nothing in this whole world could have made me move in that moment. All of the happiness that I was feeling in those past weeks, whether it was from Vincent or Tifa or beating a video game or going to McDonalds or seeing my mother smile and planting flowers was swiped away in a flood of darkness. My knuckles were white. My mother was dead.

I knew it before he even said it. I could tell so easily from his body language. Having spent all of those days in the hospital waiting room, I had seen countless doctors walk up to the sobbing families and tell them their loved ones weren't coming back. I knew the fake frown and the saddened voice until they bombarded you with papers and legal requirements. I hated doctors, then and there. They didn't care if your heart was breaking, they just wanted money.

"Yuffie, your mother..," but I didn't listen. I just turned around and left.

* * *

><p>The highway buzzed with cars and the occasional motorcycle, much to my amusement. The air was smoggy due to my close proximity to the city and I knew I shouldn't have been there. But maybe I should have, because I didn't have anywhere else to go.<p>

No one knew, I don't think. No one knew that I was out here on the side of the highway, getting looks from drivers driving home to their wives and children for their lunch break. They were going to hug their children while I go home to an empty house.

My eyes were dry. I didn't even _think_ about it until later. For now I just walked, I walked as far away as I could from my revelation. My sneakers were scuffed from the dirt on the roads and my hair was a mess from the wind. The wind blew into my eyes, drying them even further, even though no tears threatened to fall. The fields from beyond the highways looked as comforting as they've always looked for me, on long car rides to the airport (we used to fly to Japan for Christmas with my grandmother, but she passed on in fifth grade.) I would look out my window and imagine rolling around in the soft field of grass and running around until my legs gave out. My mother used to say-

Well, she used to say a lot of things I never listened to, I suppose.

My mind was completely blank the entire time on the highway, my brain only picking up tid bits of my surroundings, like the pavement on my feet and the cars honking their horns at me. I ignored everything else.

Once I got off of the highway I subconsciously turned to the main road that lead to my neighborhood, the trees and signs becoming familiar to me. My throat was sore from my heavy breathing and my cheeks were wind whipped. I probably looked like a complete mess, but then, I thought I deserved to look terrible.

My neighborhood was a really, really small one filled with normal suburban families and normal kids with normal parents and normal pools with normal dogs. When my mother and I had moved in we were the only international family in the neighborhood and the housewives were wary when they brought over the classic cookies to welcome new families into the neighborhood.

We had bought one of the smaller houses of the lot, simply because we didn't need as much room as the five person families did. When our neighbors realized that it was only my mother and I (no father; the horror) living in the suburban home they were pretty shocked, I guess. But I didn't realize it when I was little. I had tried to go out and make friends but none of this kids were really inside of my age group, most of them way younger than me, or a few years older and didn't want me inside of my group.

But, I had met Tseng and Barrett through school so I guess I had a few friends, but they were both boys so my mom never saw me with friends over. Only when I became friends with Aerith did she realize that I wasn't socially inept and could, in fact, make a few friends if I tried.

I turned out to be a pretty big social butterfly if the time called for it, and I could make a few friends when I wanted to. I met Cloud awhile back in seventh grade and we've been close, you already know Tseng and Barrett's story, and Tifa's. And Vincent's.

Vincent.

I pondered over calling him for a moment, but I decided against it when I reached my house. There was no trace of an ambulance anywhere. It looked just like it did when I left this morning. The lights were still on and I could almost imagine the television playing in the living room with my mother knitting quietly.

I didn't want to go inside, so I didn't.

I sat down on the last step of my front porch and sat my chin in my hands, my arms being propped up by my legs.

I honestly just sat there for the longest time. I could imagine the neighbors whispering to themselves silently, "the poor girl…we should go help her…," but they wouldn't because that wouldn't be normal enough for them and I'm too much of an outsider to deserve any help.

Maybe I was just being a pessimist because my mother had just died.

I swallowed at the thought and reached up to touch my eyes. Nothing was coming out. I had no tears to shed. I started to feel bad; there was nothing I could give to mourn my mother. My eyes were the driest they've ever been in my life during the situation that should have made me cry the most.

I looked to the trees and the skies for answers, but all of them declined me and told me I should try again later.

My phone began to buzz after the first hour, and by then I had assumed that school was out and it was Tifa wondering where I was. I didn't answer. I didn't have the strength to answer. I didn't even think I had the strength to talk. Tifa would just be listening to me breathing.

The buzzing stopped and I sighed in relief, my thoughts drifting back to my surroundings, and eyes setting on top of the large magnolia tree in my front yard. I used to climb it when I was little, and by the time I was thirteen I had reached the top, accompanied with my scrapes and bruises from my past attempts. I was so proud of myself, and I once again felt like the ninja I knew I was.

I was about to go up and try to climb it again, to get up and up into the air, as far away as I could, when my phone buzzed again. My head shot down this time and I looked at the light illuminating from my pocket. I debated on pulling out but I decided not to, letting it ring, and I imagined Tifa angrily leaving another voicemail. Maybe she was beginning to worry.

It wasn't more than five seconds later when my phone continued to buzz and I tried to ignore it as much as I could, but I couldn't, as much as I tried. My attempts were in vain by the time whoever was calling me had called for the fifth time and I grabbed my phone from my pocket and chucked it at the magnolia tree. It hit the tree with a soft 'clunk' and snapped in half. It was only a matter of time until my home phone would begin to ring, with lawyers and funeral home directors and people to give me their condolences.

Then I realized how completely alone I was. I didn't have any other family member alive in the entire world right now. The Kisaragi Japanese family line was now reduced from two to one and it was up to me to either end it all or rebuild it. I was having a hard time making a choice.

I wish my father was still here. I wish I had known him. I wish I was actually sad when he died, I wish I had more memories of him than just coughing in his hospital bed. I wish he was there to pat me on the back and tell me everything's going to be alright even when it wasn't and I knew that no one was going to be coming to tell me everything was going to be okay. Because for once in my life (lie) everything was going so, so very wrong.

I barely noticed when their black car pulled up unto the curb by my lawn. They engine stopped and the car just sat there for a while, as if it was waiting for me to look at it. But I didn't look up. I didn't want to and I didn't think I could.

The car door opened and I heard a pair of shoes hit the road pavement, slowly walking over to my house. My eyes were set on the rocks by my feet, my hair shielding my face from the outside world, keeping me safe and sound and with lack of emotions.

The footsteps stopped when they were about a yard away from me. I could feel their stare, burning into my hair covered forehead and letting the gaze sit there for how knows long and I forgot they were there for awhile, until they finally spoke.

"Yuffie."

It was Vincent, but I had known that when I saw the black car. It was a no brainer; Tifa probably had to go to work and sent him to come and check up on me. It made perfect sense, really. But part of me wished it was Tifa there to be the first person I saw instead of Vincent. Tifa would understand if I yelled at her to go away.

He came closer and repeated my name until I shifted my legs, moving me slightly father away from him. I really, really didn't want to talk to him right now, because if I did talk about it, talk about everything (and nothing) going through my head right now I knew I'd burst from some unknown emotion I never wanted to find.

"Yuffie, are you alright?" He asked and I could hear the worry in his tone. And then I tensed because, gawd, I didn't want to make him worry about me. I didn't deserve to be worried about. I was just some little girl who wanted to be alone. I should have told him that, but I didn't. I just stayed silent while he sat down beside me.

"You can tell me, if you want to, I mean, I'll listen," and I almost started crying then and there because I was washed over with so much admiration for him because I knew he wasn't good at this. He didn't know what he was doing but he was doing it for me. Because I had a frown on my face (or did I? I didn't even know what I looked like then.) and wasn't speaking. And those few things made him concerned, concerned for me because he liked me.

And I don't even know _why _he liked me in the first place, because I wasn't anything special. I just liked video games.

But he wrapped one of his arms around me in a sort of bro-hug way but it wasn't like a bro-hug at all. It was normal and comforting in a way and my breath hitched and I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to tell him that I didn't even know for sure if she was dead but I knew she was because she just _wasn't there anymore_. Because I knew I was so alone right now that no one was going to even be similar in the ways that my mother was similar to me. I won't have anyone to laugh with about learning English or how she didn't know how to use a frying pan; just a wok. And that she hated flying but she did it because she wanted to go back to our real home. And then I wanted to struggle out of Vincent's arms and fly to Japan.

If there was something I wanted more than anything in that moment it was to sit at my old house in Japan and drink tea with my grandmother and look at old photos of my father. I suddenly wanted a family more than anything else in this entire world but I knew I wasn't going to get one. Because the last person who ever loved me was gone, and all I had was this crazy boy who thought I was special.

"Yuffie, talk to me," he said.

And then my eyes went red and my stomach flopped and I moved out of his grasp. I looked straight into his eyes and opened my eyes, ready to scream my heart out and tell him to just _fucking leave me alone _but I couldn't because I realized how special he was to me. And he was the person I never wanted to lose, because he was there, right next to me, caring. And that was all that I needed.

I let out the biggest sob I have ever sobbed in my life.

My eyes closed and my mouth wiggled and I made very loud noise that was similar to a scream but it wasn't. It was just a sound of pure agony. And I set my face slowly in my hands and I just _cried._ I cried because I wanted my mother to not die and for Japan because it was my true home, and for Vincent because I liked him suddenly more than anyone else in this world right now.

His hand rubbed my back while I bawled into my hands, not knowing why I was crying, but he hadn't left yet, so everything was okay. Somehow, everything was okay.

He whispered some comforting "shh's" to me in his Vincent voice and I almost started laughing in hysterics at him because he was actually _really_ bad at this. He wasn't one of those dramatic 'oh baby I love you so much everything's going to be okay' boyfriends because everything, despite what I just said, wasn't going to be okay.

But he just rubbed my back in the way that Vincents should, because Vincents are socially awkward and didn't know how to properly comfort their girlfriends, but that was okay because I preferred it that way.

My shoulders shook with my weeping and I soon ran out of breath. I just sat there for awhile, gathering my breath while Vincent's hands traveled from my back to my shoulders to help me sit back up. I tried closing my eyes so he wouldn't see my bloodshot eyes that were similar in color to his red ones but I failed miserably.

I just looked at him. I took a deep breath and said, "Ninja's aren't supposed to cry."

He frowned. "Ninja's can cry as much as they want."

I sniffled. "My mom's dead," I said and looked at him. His eyes widened a smidge.

"Yuffie…," He started.

"I left before they even told me but I know it's true. Because I know for a fact that she's not inside there," I pointed behind me to my front door, "making dinner and waiting for me to get home from school, because it's like five right now and I totally would have been home right now and she's not freaking out yet like she always does, so she's not there and she only buys groceries on Wednesday," I said, and it was Thursday. Hope was lost by a day.

"Do you know how?"

"No. I really don't want a doctor to give me a mental image of my mother having an epileptic attack, so I really, really don't want to know, so can I move in with you?" I blurted out and I saw that I was crying again, fine tears tainting my red face. He wiped them away with the back of his hand. I think he laughed but I couldn't remember.

"No," he said and I frowned, "but you can talk to me."

And I think that's all he and I really wanted at that moment, to talk to each other, well, me talking to him about my feelings. My brain told me I didn't want to tell him more about my mother but I ended up doing so, talking about how she never found out about my stash like I thought she was going to, and my plan for showing her the day she drives me to college was now completely foiled. And that I used to steal her knitting needles and stick them up my nose when I was a little kid and she would dip them in bleach for a day. (Which never really made sense to me.)

He held my hand and nodded with me and let me put my head on his shoulder when I started to cry again because I _missed_ her and not just a normal miss, but knowing that I should have been eating dinner with her right now then sitting on the porch and crying into a GameStop cashiers shoulder made me miss her more than anything.

Then Tifa showed up after her shift at Food Lion ended (she was a bagger; it was hilarious) and sat on the other side of me for about five minutes before she made me go inside. But when she arrived I was a crying mess again because I really wanted to eat my mom's wonton soup but I couldn't because I didn't know how to make it. So I made Tifa promise me to take me out to Chef Lee whenever she was free and she said she would even though she just wanted to get me inside.

So I sat at my kitchen table with no wonton soup in front of me with Vincent next to me pushing back my hair and Tifa was on the phone talking to the hospital because all I could do was talk about my mom at that time.

"And she used to m-make me go to bed at nine thirty…," I wailed again and Vincent stroked my hair. I didn't like it after awhile so I pushed him away and grabbed the ponytail from my wrist and put my hair up in a terrible fashion. When Tifa emerged from the kitchen she almost laughed at me, then she saw my red face.

She walked over to me and continued to touch my hair, putting it up in a better way than I had because _I was bad at everything_. She spoke from behind me:

"The doctor said it was SUDEP, and that it was fast and-"

"STOP IT!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and put my hands over my ears.

_Ididn'twanttoknow _

_Ididn'twanttoknow_

_Ididn'twanttoknow_

_Ididn'twanttoknow_

_Ididn'twanttoknow_

_Ididn'twanttoknow_

_Ididn'twanttoknow_

"Tifa," I heard Vincent mumble and she gasped and said she was sorry but I didn't care.

I saw my mother getting her breakfast like always, in her robe and hair all put up nice because her whole _being _was nice despite her crushing grip on my hand, and she was getting some waffles because we both likes waffles. She'd accidentally burn them but she wouldn't throw them away like I would because she's a better person than I ever was.

But when she would grasp the waffles her hand would shake and the tremor would lead up to her whole arm and eventually her torso would be convulsing in such a violent way it made me want to throw up. And I almost did, too. I gagged and covered my mouth because I _really, really_ didn't want to throw up all over Vincent.

And the tremor would take over entire body until her legs couldn't support her anymore and she fell to the ground to hit her head. And she'd try to scream out for help but she couldn't because the tremors were inside of her now, taking over her vocal chords and making her shake all over the floor. And it was the most horrifying image to ever grace my mind, but then she'd stop and everything would go silent. And she'd be dead, because her body couldn't handle it, and she'd go to say hi to my father.

_SUDEP: Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy_

So I think I did barf, all over the kitchen table because I now had a fine and deep image of my mother's cold, dead body on the floor so I left before I started to cry again. I ran away, up to my room and locked the door. I heard Tifa and Vincent yelling after me but I ignored them because I wanted to ignore everyone, including the world because even the world was becoming a bastard and changing from the world I knew back in kindergarten.

I knew I could never live in this house again because this was where my mother had died, in my kitchen, so I needed to move. I then began to pack everything I saw into my backpack that was still on my shoulder (Vincent had tried to take it off but I refused) which consisted of two shirts, one pair of underwear, no bras, Final Fantasy X, a pair of my mom's stolen knitting needles, and a picture of my mother and father when they were getting married. And then unplugged my Xbox, picked it up, and opened the door to Vincent and Tifa.

Vincent was in mid knock (I hadn't even noticed him knocking) and ended up lightly hitting me in the face, his knuckles brushing my dry tears before he stopped and paused. I paused too, looking at his eyes, and saw Tifa with bloodshot ones. And then Vincent wrapped his arms around my Xbox and me and pulled me (us) into a hug which almost crushed my poor console. I would have cared before, but now I just let him hold me with as much strength that he would muster.

And he kissed the top of my head and said that they were there for me, but I didn't cry this time because I was more anxious to get out of that house than anything. So when he pulled away I looked at Tifa and let out a small, "Please..," which basically meant please please please take me with you to wherever you are going I cannot be alone right now.

She nodded and took my hand (Vincent taking the Xbox) and took me out to their two cars. She asked me who she wanted to drive with and I just looked at them dumbfounded.

"I don't want to be alone," I said.

So Tifa nodded and we all piled up into her pick-up truck she got teased about all the time in school for but I actually really liked it and had named it Hurly. But it only had room for three people so I had to sit in Vincent's lap to buckle in my Xbox. This was only allowed to happen after I started to scream again.

And the road was bumpy and I almost thought things were about to get sexual with me and Vincent with Tifa _right next to us _but then we pulled into their beautiful home. I grabbed my Xbox before anyone else could and hopped out of the car, the console almost slipping out of my hands.

When we got inside Tifa's mom and Vincent's dad looked at me with the 'aw poor baby everything's going to be okay look' and I got really angry really fast but Vincent stopped me before I said anything. He grasped my hand and intertwined with my fingers and I knew I loved him then and there.

I never called the doctor when I was settled into Tifa's bedroom, a cup of orange juice by my side with Vincent plugging my Xbox into her television which was so much bigger than mine. I got really excited for a moment and then I felt Tifa's phone buzz.

I wasn't thinking.

"Hello?" I said when I picked up, and Tifa gaped at me.

I listened to the man on the other line. I swallowed, and in the most professional voice I could muster I ask him if his refrigerator was running.

The man started to laugh a little but then asked me about what funeral home I wanted to use and suggested coffin prices and at the word 'coffin' I promptly threw Tifa's phone against the wall and snapped it in half.

"Sorry," I said.

Tifa just stared for a moment until she said she was surprised I even picked up.

"Why did they call your cell phone number? You aren't on any of my hospital files unless you're _actually related to me_ but you don't look Japanese," I said.

"I gave them my number to call when I contacted the hospital."

And then I knew I loved Tifa, too, but in a sisterly way because she was the best sister (but never mother) I could ever have. And I knew she was going to take care of me to the best of her ability and maybe things were going to be okay until they weren't, like when I have to dress up in black to go to her funeral.

But it wasn't time for that yet and when Vincent handed me my Xbox controller I started to cry again. But he didn't do anything and he just sat down next to me, grabbing the second controller and played video games with me while Tifa made fun of us and drank my orange juice.

Vincent was really good (like always) and my hands were really shaky- unsure at first so he beat me the first few times. But after a good hour I felt my butt getting sore and my hands going to the buttons at all the right times and my eyes were finally dry when I saw my name on the high scores list.

* * *

><p>A month had passed and Vincent graduated before I had even started setting up details for my mother's funeral. I wore a white dress and my sneakers and it was really funny to see him in a graduation gown but he looked sexy as always. I asked Tifa if I could bring an "I love you, Vincent Valentine!" sign to hold up during the graduation but she said that I'd probably get kicked out.<p>

And it turns out he was already accepted into this really, really good college and just never told me. So when he came to see us, diploma and all, I kissed him with all of my might before he even got to say hello to his dad.

Tifa and I took our final exams (I got exempt from a few, fuck yeah.) with bad attitudes but we screamed and shouted when we drove home together in her car on the last day of school. We picked up Vincent from his shift at GameStop and then Tifa treated us all to a wonderful dinner at T.G.I Fridays.

I ended up moving back into my old house, getting loans from the bank that I had to pay off before I died, and faced my inner demons with confidence. Tifa and Vincent helped me scrub down the entire kitchen and made me stand back up when I fell onto the floor in a sobbing mess. And I stood back up like the badass ninja I was and made that kitchen cleaner and more disinfected than it's ever been in its' whole life.

Tifa's mom and Vincent's dad ended up buying me a nicely sized television for my bedroom, which I accepted with huge hugs, and I plugged it into my wall and flipped on my PS3 and played Final Fantasy XIII with all of its graphical beauty. But I never brought my video games and consoles from out underneath my bed, and they stayed there, hidden, until I moved out for college a year later.

But it's not time for that.

I was wearing an orange skirt and a white tank top with socks. My television in my room was on and some _One Piece_ was spewing out of its speakers but I wasn't looking. Outside of my window was a black car and I knew exactly who it was.

I didn't turn off the television and I left my bedroom, running downstairs to open the front door. My wonderful boyfriend greeted me with his sexiness when I opened the door and I smiled.

"You're beautiful," He said before I could even open my mouth. My smile dropped and I looked down at myself.

"I look normal today!" (The horror!) I said and twirled around in my skirt, "But this skirt is very flow-y. I feel like a princess."

"I want to take you somewhere," he said and it was 5:47 on a Tuesday night in the middle of June. My smile returned (I was smiling more these days.) and I grabbed his hand.

"Take me awwwaaaayyyyyyy!" I yelled and let him guide me into his car and when he turned on the radio I immediately changed it to the CD option, letting the sounds of the CD's I've made him over the recent weeks fill my ears.

"You never take these things out, do you?" I asked and he shook his head.

"They remind me of you," he said and I smiled.

"That makes sense. I did make them, you know," and he knew, because I made them on his laptop with his blank CD's but with _my _fingers.

It was silent then, for a little while. I asked him where we were going but he wouldn't answer. He just kept driving until we turned and he told me to close my eyes. I was surprised, for Vincent never was one for surprises, but I did as I was told and covered my eyes with my hands. (Only to peek through the slits of my fingers.)

"You're taking me to GameStop?" I asked him when the car stopped and the engine died. He sighed.

"I told you not to look," He said and I lowered my hands.

"GameStop is closed on Tuesdays!"

"Exactly," he said and he held up the keys to the store and I died then and there.

So I bolted out of the car and raced him to the front door, even though he didn't run until I tripped on the sidewalk and he caught me because he's a good boyfriend. And he opened the door to the GameStop with a soft clink and the bell overhead us rang just like the first day I met him.

And it was only us in there. The lights were off and all of the demo consoles were dark and it was kind of spooky until he kissed my temple. I giggled and ran over to the New Releases section behind the cash register counter. I growled.

"These babies have been mocking me for _weeks! _Agh! Vinny, I love you, I really do," and I meant it because I loved him more than anyone else in the world.

He never said it back, because that's how he is, silent but loving. I know he does, deep down in his heart, but I'm still waiting for the day where he whispers it into my ear when I'm not expecting it.

I grabbed the case of Modern Warfare 3 and kissed it. "You're gonna be mine, all mine in three weeks, you got that?" I asked the case and Vincent laughed at me. And then I got down on my hands and knees and got under the counter to look at all of the gum left behind by bored cashier workers.

"Gross," I muttered and stood up. I opened the cash register, jumping at the loud 'ding!' and touched the money and for a split second I thought about stealing it all and using it to throw my mom the _best and most fun funeral in the entire world_ because that's what she would have wanted.

But Vincent stopped me by smirking at me, as if reading my mind, and pulled me away from the register, closing it shut. I growled and pushed him, laughing, and ran around the store.

"This is so _cool!" _I said to him, throwing my hands up in the air.

And suddenly he was behind me, breathing into my ear and I hoped and wished with all that I had that he would tell me he loved me. But he didn't and it was okay, because I loved him and he got me into GameStop when it wasn't open. And then he kissed me like he loved me which I knew he did.

Somehow we slid down onto the ground and my hands were on his face and hair while his were holding my waist and we just kissedkissedkissed until we were breathless. And then we stopped and I laughed, took in a huge gulp of air, and went back to kissing him.

He growled and kissed me harder until my lips were bruised but I liked it. But it never got sexual. It never did get sexual. Not until waaayyyyy later, and at that moment we were content with ourselves and our bodies and all we wanted was each other but we could deal with fingers and lips for awhile before we needed anything else because _I loved him_.

So I stood up, breathing heavily, and ran towards the door. Before I left I looked back to him, standing way back in the used game section and he was just staring at me like he always does and I smiled at him as big as I could muster. And then I sprinted out the door and I felt his footsteps following me. I looked to the sky and yelled, "No one can catch The Great Ninja Yuffie!" but I knew someone could. I wasn't inescapable because I had given my heart to someone who deserved it.

And I didn't stop running until he caught me and I knew I never wanted to be let loose again.

* * *

><p>I'd like to thank: <em>Relient K<em>, _A Day To Remember_, and _The Wonder Years, _my bed for letting me sit on it for three days while I wrote, Cool Ranch Doritos, Coke, my sister for playing _Kingdom Hearts_ and giving me this idea, Microsoft Word, and Vincent and Yuffie for being the best characters a gamer could ask for.

And you guys, for reading this.


End file.
